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HISTOBT 



NEW BOSTON, 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



COMPILED AND WRITTEN 



BY ELLIOTT C. COGSWELL, 

PASTOR OP THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEW BOSTON, N. H. 




BOSTON: 
PRESS OF GEO. C. RAND & AVERY, 3 CORNHILL. 

1864. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1804, 

BY E. C. COGSWELL, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of New Hampshire. 






4715 

mio 



PREFACE. 



In all the arrangements for the Centennial, the publication 
of a historic volume was a controlling consideration ; and the 
subjects assigned for discussion were selected with a view to 
this object ; so that the subsequent volume might bear the im- 
press of many minds, rather than of one, and thus become the 
product of New Boston intellects and hearts. Still, it was fore- 
seen, that the articles furnished must be subjected to the care- 
ful revision of one responsible person, and be arranged in their . 
appropriate order ; while man}' subjects, untouched by others, v 
must necessarily be developed by him ; and the great burden 
of collecting incidents and facts, which would be of permanent 
interest, and serve to unfold the character and habits of by- 
gone generations, could well devolve upon no other. Accord- 
ingly, at a meeting held the evening of July 4, 1863, at the 
parsonage of the Presbyterian Church, by the returned sons of 
New Boston, Dr. Thomas H. Cochran was appointed Chair- 
man, and Robert B. Wason, Secretary, when " on motion, it 
was unanimously resolved that a history of New Boston, our 
native town, be published, embracing, among other materials, 
the transactions of the Centennial Celebration this day held." 

" On motion, it was resolved, that, in order to defray the 
expenses of such publication, the amount necessary be raised 
by joint-stock subscription, and that the respective subscribers 
be assessed, from time to time, upon the amount of their sub- 
scriptions, in the proportion, which the amount necessary to be 
raised bears to the aggregate sum subscribed/ ' 



" On motion, resolved, that the Rev. E. 0. Cogswell be and 
he is hereby constituted the committee to gather and compile 
the materials, and prepare said history for publication, and to 
take the sole charge of such publication, and that he have full 
power to designate such assistants as he may choose, and assess 
the subscribers, from time to time, in such sums as may be 
needed." 

Elbridge Wason, Robert Boyd Wason, Thomas H. Cochran, 
Joseph T. Bradford,. Clark B. Cochrane, Gerry W. Cochrane, 
and Josiah W. Fairfield became responsible for the work in 
subscriptions of one hundred dollars each. Exhausted by 
efforts preparatory to the Centennial, we had no heart to under- 
take the task ; but yielding to the solicitations of the gentle- 
men whose wish, thus expressed, we could not well refuse, we 
entered upon our labor with many misgivings. The task has 
been performed ; how well, others will determine. 

Our work possesses some features of originality. That it has 
imperfections, we frankly admit ; but our aim has been to make 
it readable and truthful. Errors in date will undoubtedly 
appear, for they are unavoidable in a work of this kind. It 
has cost us much labor ; but it has been bestowed without 
hope of praise, or expectation of reward ; to us it has been a 
labor of love. Amid unusual parochial duties, the preparation 
of this work has proved too much for our strength, and quite 
incapacitated us for physical or intellectual effort for the last 
three months ; and this must be some apology for some defects 
that may appear in the work. 

The embellishments in our work have been furnished at our 
earnest solicitations ; while some, through modesty, have with 
great reluctance allowed their portraits to appear ; but our aim 
has been to obtain representatives of the dead and the living for 
the benefit of the future ; the same has been true in regard to 
views of residences. The expense of embellishments has been 
borne by those who furnished them. 



We cannot forbear to express our gratitude to the highly 
esteemed gentlemen, concerned in the immediate publication 
of this work, for their confidence, patience, and cheerful co- 
operation, especially to Mr. Elbridge Wason, whose hospitable 
mansion has been opened to us and greatly enjoyed in our in- 
valid state, a portion of the time during which this work was 
passing through the press. 

Often amid bodily anguish have we exclaimed, " Oh, that our 
words were now written ! Oh, that they were printed in a 
book!" That desire is now gratified. May Almighty God 
bless the book to the sons and daughters of New Boston ; to 
those that are afar off, and to them that are near. 

Our thanks are due to Mr. Harry Bixby, who, having just 
returned from Europe, kindly proffered his aid at a time when 
we could do but little, and had reluctantly come to the conclu- 
sion that our work, though passing through the press, must be 
suspended until health was recovered. His aid lightened a 
burden we had not strength to carry, and enhanced our appre- 
ciation of him as a gentleman and scholar, whose simplicity of 
manners and integrity of heart, combined with a scholarship 
enriched by foreign travel and study, eminently qualify him to 
be a successful teacher in modern languages, to which he in- 
tends to devote himself. 

Our thanks are also due to the friends in our beloved con- 
gregation, who decreed that we should appear among the 
" worthies," and generously bore the expense of our litho- 
graph. 

E. C. C. 

New Boston, New Hampshire, 

July 1, 1864. 



EMBELLISHMENTS. 



Rev. E. P. Bradford . . Frontispiece. 

Rev. E. C. Cogswell 9 

Hon. C. B. Cochrane 25 

Josiah W. Fairfield, Esq. ... 95 
Residence of Rev. E. P. Brad- 
ford 123 

Presbyterian Meeting House, 128 
Mrs. Mary M. Bradford .... 131 
Residence of J. T. Bradford . . 133 

Rev. Edward Buxton 137 

Rev. John Atwood 143 

Baptist Meeting House— -Town 
House 144 



James Crombie, Esq 

Rev. J. A. Goodhue 

Perley Dodge, Esq 

Rev. William Clark .... 
Dr. Thomas H. Cochran . . 
Residence of Sidney Hills 
View of Joe English .... 



153 
163 
199 
269 
275 
300 
304 



Residence of Elbridge Wason, 312 



Rev. Hiram Wason 319 

Residence of Hon. G. W. Coch- 
rane 331 

Hon. Gerry W. Cochrane .... 333 

Joseph Cochran, Jr., Esq. . . . 306 

Dea. S. L. Cristy 371 

Clark Crombie 374 

Daniel D. Crombie 375 

Albert D. Crombie 377 

Elbridge Wason 390 

Residence of Geo. A. Wason . . 391 

Residence of T. R. Cochran . . 392 

Residence of Israel Dodge . . 393 

Amos Dodge, Esq 394 

Residence of Amos Dodge, Esq. 395 

Capt. John Lamson 421 

Residence of Dea. Samuel Dane, 423 

Amos W. Tewksbury, Esq. . . . 426 

Dr. Samuel Gregg 442 

Residence of Solomon Dodge. . 457 
Map. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Centennial Proceedings. 

Preliminary Measures 9 

Committee Appointed 9 

The Day 12 

Procession 12 

Exercises 13 

J. W. Fairfield's Remarks 20 

Historical Address. 

Introduction 25 

Preparatory Events 36 

The Grant 40 

The Settlement 43 

The Incorporation 47 

Churches and Church Edifices ... 50 

Grantees and Grant, Addition 

and Masonian Charter 61 

Poem, by W. E. Cochran 75 

Response of Josiah W. Fairfield, 

Esq 95 

Ecclesiastical History. 

Provisions of the Grant 103 

First Meeting-House 104 

Second Meeting-House 106 

Rev. Solomon Moor 109 

Rev. Ephraim P. Bradford 117 

Other Pastors 133 

Response of Rev. Edward Bux- 
ton 137 

History of the Baptist Church . . 143 

Ministerial Fund. 

Its Origin 147 

How Appropriated 

Its Loss 

Response of Jas. Crombie, Esq. . . . 153 

Schools. 

First Appropriations 157 

Divisions into Districts 

Response of Rev. Joseph A. Good- 
hue 163 

School-Teachers, Choristers, Mu- 
sic Teachers 169 

Response of William W. Colburn 173 



Page. 

Response of Gerry W. Hazelton 179 
Response of William P. Cochran, 

Esq 185 

Response of Dr. Charles Coch- 
ran 195 

Response of Perley Dodge, Esq. 199 

Sketches of Lawyers 201 

Response of Dr. James H. Crom- 
bie 207 

Sketches of Physicians 212 

History of Mills 217 

Casualties, Bills of Mortality, 

Grave- Yards, Pounds, Roads 227 
Response of Lorenzo Fairbanks, 

Esq 241 

Letters 247 

Town Officers 255 

Graduates 261 

Roll of Honor, — and Tribute to 
the Absent Soldiers — 

Names of Soldiers 265 

Response of Rev. William Clark 269 
Response of Dr. Thomas H. Coch- 
ran 275 

Business and Interesting Locali- 
ties 299 

Poem, by Mrs. S. T. Wason 309 

Response of Rev. Hiram Wason.. 319 

Sabbath Schools 325 

Response of Hon. G. W. Cochrane 331 
Response of Rev. J. A. Goodhue. . 343 
Biographical and Geneological 
Sketches. 

Thomas Smith 349 

Deacon John Smith 349 

Deacon Thomas Smith 350 

William McNeil 352 

John Blair 352 

Dea. James Person 352 

Hugh Gregg 353 

Andrew Walker 355 

Dea. Jesse Cristy 355 



Page. 
Biographical and Geneological 
Sketches (continued). 

Dea. Thomas Cochran 356 

John Cochran 358 

Peter Cochran 360 

Capt. George Cristy i . . 361 

John McMillen 362 

Daniel McMillen 362 

Nathaniel Cochran 363 

John Cochran, Esq 364 

James Cochran 365 

Elijah Cochran 365 

Joseph Cochran, Jr., Esq 366 

Abraham Cochran 368 

John McLaughlen 369 

William Clark, Esq 369 

Dea. Eobert Clark 370 

John Clark 371 

Eebecca Clark — Moses Cristy. . . 371 

Ninian Clark 372 

Ninian Clark, Esq 372 

James Crombie 374 

John Crombie 375 

Lemuel Harden 377 

Samuel Harden 378 

Benjamin Dodge 379 

Andrew Beard 380 

William Kelso 383 

John McAllister 386 

Dea. Eobert White 387 

Willsons 387 

Dea. William McNeil 388 

Dea. Eobert Patterson 390 

Dea. Eobert Wason 390 

Dea. Archibald McHillen 391 

Dea. Thomas Cochran 392 

Lieut. Solomon Dodge 393 

Dea. Solomon Dodge 394 

Luther Eichards 395 

John Dodge 396 

Isaac Peabody 397 

Ephraim Colburn 399 



Page, 

Capt. Benjamin Buxton 401 

Eobert Parkinson 404 

John Goodhue 407 

Capt. Matthew Fairfield 409 

John Fairfield, Esq 409 

John Cochran, Esq 409 

Alexander McCollom 411 

' Eobert Campbell 412 

Thomas Campbell 414 

Josiah Warren 415 

James Caldwell, Esq 417 

Dea. William Moor 418 

Capt. Joseph Lamson 419 

Daniel Dane 421 

Dea. Samuel Dane 422 

Eobert Hogg 423 

Abner Hogg 424 

Amos W. Tewksbury 426 

David Starrett 427 

John Lamson 430 

Dea. Marshall Adams 431 

John Whipple .' 432 

Jacob Hooper 434 

Livermore Langdell 435 

Zechariah Morgan 436 

Capt. Joseph Andrews 436 

Dea. Issachar Andrews 438 

Maurice Lynch 438 

Eobert Livingston 439 

Capt. Gerry Whiting 440 

William Woodbury 441 

Samuel Gregg, Esq 442 

Daniel Dodge 443 

Joshua Jones 444 

Capt. Ephraim Jones 445 

Thomas Otis 445 

Jeremiah S. Cochran, M. D 446 

Eev. Samuel Clark 447 

Eev. Samuel Wallace Clark 450 

Fakms and Farming 454 

Census for 1756 460 

Census for 1860 462 




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CENTENNIAL PROCEEDINGS. 



As early as the day of the State Fast, in April, 1862, a meet- 
ing at the Presbyterian church, at the close of public worship, 
was held to consider the propriety of taking some notice of the 
one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of 
New Boston. This meeting was attended by persons from all 
parts of the town, and the sentiment was unanimously express- 
ed that the town ought to celebrate the occasion. Measures 
were adopted for calling a legal meeting as soon as practicable. 
Such a meeting was called, and it was voted to celebrate the 
event, but not to appropriate money to defray the expenses ; 
this last decision was reached through the influence of a few, 
and it was understood that a vote to appropriate money would be 
unavailing ; therefore, the subject was dropped, and no further 
action was taken until the early part of the autumn, when the 
citizens were invited to meet at the Town Hall, to choose an 
Executive Committee to make all necessary arrangements for 
the observance of the centennial. Rev. E. C. Cogswell was 
called to the chair, and Warren R. Cochrane was appointed 
Secretary ; and the following gentlemen were appointed an Exec- 
utive Committee, viz. : E. C. Cogswell, R. B. Cochrane, N. 
C. Crombie, S. L. Christy, Daniel Campbell, John Lamson, 
Solomon Dodge, Luther Colbum, John Dodge, John Atwood, 
and subsequently David Gregg was added. 

This Committee appointed Warren R. Cochrane their Secre- 
tary, and resolved to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary gf 
the incorporation of the town of New Boston on the fourth day 
of July, 1863, with an historical address, and other appropriate 
services. The Hon. Clark B. Cochrane was unanimously in- 



10 



vited to deliver the address, and following is his letter of ac- 
ceptance : — 

Albany, October 14, 1862. 
My Dear Sir : — 

Your favor, announcing that the Centennial Executive Committee had 
" unanimously chosen " me to deliver the historical address usual on such oc- 
casion, and had " voted to celebrate July 4, 1863," came to hand in due course 
of mail. In answer, I hasten to say, I accept the invitation, and -will attempt 
the duty assigned. 

Be kind enough to make to the Committee my grateful acknowledgments 
for this flattering expression of their kind remembrance, and accept for your- 
self the assurance of my affection and esteem. 

CLAKK B. COCHRANE. 
To W. E. Cochrane, 

Sec. Com. 

The following circular was ordered to be printed and sent to 
absentees : — 

Dear Sir : 

New Boston, the place of your nativity, was incorporated about a hundred 
years ago, and it is thought best to take special notice of its hundredth an- 
niversary. The Old Folks at home, therefore, , send greetings to the 
Young Folks abroad, and desire to meet them in general assembly for high 
consultation at " the Old Homestead," 

ON THE FOURTH DAY OF JULY, EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE. 

They would thus call home their sons and daughters to revive recollections 
of the past, and to collect such facts respecting the early inhabitants as will 
otherwise soon be beyond recovery. 

You, therefore, are urgently requested to be present on that day, and to 
bring with you a heart in sympathy with the occasion, when an Historical Ad- 
dress will be delivered by the Hon. Clark B. Cochrane, of New York, and 
such other services will be had as will become the day. 

Yours, respectfully, 

E. C. COGSWELL, SOLOMON DODGE, 

E. B. COCHRANE, LUTHER COLBURN, 

N. C. CROMBIE, JOHN DODGE, 

S. L. CHRISTY, JOHN ATWOOD, 

DANIEL CAMPBELL, DAVID GREGG, 

JOHN LAMSON, Executive Committee. 
• New Boston, N. H., October 21, 1862. 

The Chairman and the Secretary were authorized to make 
all necessary arrangements for the intellectual entertainment, 



11 



to which duty great labor was devoted ; appointments were 
made and subjects assigned adapted to unfold the history and 
character of the early settlers of the town, while no pains were 
spared in searching for materials to assist some of the writers, 
and to form a complete history. Several meetings of the Com- 
mittee were held in the spring of 1863, to perfect arrangements, 
and subdivided itself as follows : E. C. Cogswell, John Atwood, 
and W. R. Cochrane were to provide for the intellectual exer- 
cises, including singing and instrumental music ; Luther Col- 
burn, David Gregg, Daniel Campbell, and S. L. Christy, to ar- 
range for dinner ; N. C. Crombie, John Lamson, and Solomon 
Dodge to erect pavilion, tables, and seats ; R. B. Cochrane and 
John Dodge to obtain requisite funds to defray expenses. 

The following appeared in the Farmers'' Cabinet some weeks 
before the fourth, from the pen of Mrs. Wason, which 
awakened no little interest : — 

INVITATION TO NEW BOSTON 
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, JULY4, 1863. 

Dear " Cabinet," thy ceaseless rounds 

The last half hundred years, 
Has told us oft our Saviour's love, 

And oft of change and tears ; 
Dear, old, tried friend, a mission new- 
New Boston's sons would give to you. 

They'd bid you seek the Prairie Homes 

Far towards the setting sun, 
And rouse the wanderers dwelling there, 

And call them, every one, 
To our Centennial, that's to be 
July the fourth, in sixty-three. ' 

They'd bid you go with lightning speed 

To California's strand, 
That's lured the stray ones from our hills 

To wash her golden sand, 
And tell them treasures lost and found 
At our Centennial will abound. 

Go o'er Virginia's battle-fields 
With slow and solemn tread, 
And see the rank grass springing there 



12 



Above her sleeping dead ; 
And tell, oh, tell our loyal sons 
We'll greet them when their mission's done- 
Go with soft and gentle whisper, 

To Louisiana's shore, 
And tell the loved ones gathered there 

We miss them more and more ; 
There'll be a sadness in our joys, 
Because of absent soldier boys. 

Go to every nook, and corner, 

Throughout our wide-spread land, 
And tell our sons, and daughters too, 

We'd take them by the hand, 
And have a day of jubilee 
For old Scotch-Irish ancestry. 

During* the night preceding the fourth, a delightful rain re- 
freshed the thirsty earth, and cooled the heated atmosphere. 
The fourth was ushered in with the roar of cannon and ringing 
of bells, and proved to be just such a day as was desired. A 
beautiful banner, with no star lost, nor stripe erased, received 
the preceding day, the gift of General W. S. Cochran, of Rock- 
land, Me., was unfurled to the breeze, and at nine o'clock, 
agreeably to previous arrangements, a procession was formed at 
the Town Hall, under the direction of Chief Marshal George 
A. Wason, and his Aids Thomas R. Cochran, Samuel M. 
Christy, Ira A. Gage, Alfred M. Campbell, James B. Whipple, 
Butler T. Hills, and Charles F. Dodge ; and, preceded by the 
New Boston Cornet Band, marched to the Presbyterian meet- 
ing-house. Here a platform had been erected front of the 
church, and seats on the beautiful green ; but, as great reluc- 
tance to speaking in the open air was expressed, it was resolved 
to enter the church, and that large edifice was filled to its ut- 
most capacity, while hundreds lingered at the doors and win- 
dows, and other hundreds, unable to hear, went away. When 
the crowd was composed the Marshal announced the presiding 
officers to be, Rev. B. C. Cogswell, President; Waterman Burr, 
Esq., Dea. Samuel Dane, Rev. John Atwood, Hon. R. B. Coch- 
rane, and John Dodge, Vice-Presidents ; and the following- 
original hymn, by Mrs. Wason, was sung by a large choir, in 



13 

which were several aged people, (Mrs. Hannah Farley being 
seventy-eight years old), under the direction of Mr. Jesse Beard, 
a veteran school-teacher and singing-master, now seventy-four 
years old, assisted by Mr. A. P. Brigham : — 

CENTENNIAL. 

Our fathers'. God, to Thee, 
Enthroned in majesty, 

We humbly bow, 
To thank Thee that this day 
Recalls our childhood's way, 
Brings loved ones, far away, 

To meet us now. 

We'll lay aside our creeds, 
And will our fathers' deeds 

Commemorate ; 
With marshaled hosts' array, 
And music's grand display, 
Our anniversary day 

We'll celebrate. 

'Twas our departed sires, 
Who kindled here the fires 

Of peaceful homes ; 
Circle of noble men, 
Let each, with tongue and pen, 
Proclaim their praise again, 

Where'er he roams. 

Virtues like theirs, appear 
More bright, as year by year 

We glide along ; 
Such be our earthly store — 
Then on the " shining shore " 
We'll join them gone before, 

In endless song. 

The 107th Psalm was read, from a Bible brought with him 
from the old World more than a hundred years ago by Wm. 
Kelso, and prayer offered by Rev. Edward Buxton, of Webster, 
followed with music by the band. The President then wel- 
comed those who had returned, in the following brief address : 



14 



Sons and Daughters. of New Boston: — 

In behalf of the Committee of Arrangements for celebrating this, the one 
hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of this town, I extend to you a 
cordial welcome. Many of you have been long absent from the firesides of 
your childhood, and have found homes elsewhere. As we have watched your 
paths, and seen you transfer from the old homestead the love you once cher- 
ished, to the new homes you have chosen, we have rejoiced to know that you 
have carried with you a fond remembrance of your birthplace, and have not 
allowed the burning patriotism of your fathers to be less ardent in your own 
bosoms, nor their all-controlling religious sentiments to be less influential over 
your lives. We have seen, with great satisfaction, that other communities have 
welcomed you to their inheritances, and have had no occasion to regret the 
confidence they have reposed in you. Justly proud of our sons and daughters 
whom we have sent forth, we have called you back to your ancestral homes, 
that we may pronounce God's blessings upon you, and incite you to endeavors 
to show that whatever community receives a son or daughter of New Boston, 
receives a blessing from the Lord. 

With this day in view, we have been led to contemplate the men that 
cleared these hills and reared these dwellings. Heroic men, and not less he- 
roic women, the grandparents of your parents, rise up before us to say that 
theirs was a rough inheritance which they received to impart to their children. 
The Smiths, the Blairs, the Fersons, the Cochranes, the McAllisters, the Clarks, 
the Crombies, the Campbells, the Warrens, the McNeils, were men that 
walked before God with great uprightness, and the pathway of those men 
shines brighter and brighter. The virtues of such men this day will unfold 
and serve to perpetuate the remembrance of them. In the joy we have felt 
at the unfoldings of noble elements of character in generations gone before, 
we have invited you to participate. And you have done well in heeding our 
summons. And we bid you welcome to the scenes of this day ; we welcome 
you to the green hills your childhood roamed ; we bid you welcome to hearths 
on which the fire goes not out, and to our social enjoyments ; we bid you wel- 
come to the graves of your sires, where the cold slab records the names of 
those who, though dead, yet live ; and may God Almighty bless you and us, 
and by the discipline of time prepare us for the richer inheritance above. 

In the accomplishment of the object sought by this occasion, we have called 
to our aid not a few of those qualified in head and heart for the pleasant ser- 
vice. Upon one we have imposed the task of rescuing from the gulf of obliv- 
ion the facts and incidents of the early history of this town. To this labor 
he has brought the energies of a vigorous intellect, and the ardor of an affec- 
tionate heart, who, we are happy to believe, will convince you that the race 
of New Boston has deteriorated neither in stature of body nor breadth and 
vigor of intellect. Therefore, with great pleasure, I introduce to you the 
Hon. Clark B. Cochrane. 

Mr. Cochrane was listened to for the space of nearly two 



15 



hours, with intense satisfaction, and the following hymn, by- 
Mrs. Wason, was sung by the choir : — 

OUR CENTURY PLANT. 

Our century plant is in blossom to-day ; 
Its thousand leaves fragrant with scenes passed away ; 
'Twas a slip from the hardy old storm-beaten tree 
That grew in the Highlands, 'way over the sea. 

"lis a bonnie Scotch native, Americanized, 
Retaining some traits the Scotch covenanters prized ; 
It grows rank in the soil where the red man roamed, 
O'er the graves of their hunters 'tis watching alone. 

Its ancestral arms were emblazoned on high, 
When the fires of Smithfield glared red on the sky, 
When Claverhouse's bloodhounds dragged out. .frorn each den 
Of Scotia's bleak mountains, her Protestant men. 

A root was transplanted from Argyleshire's dale, 
To blossom but once in old Erin's green vale ; 
Transplanted again to America's shore, 
'Twill blossom and flourish till time is no more. 

And where are the fathers who planted our flower, 
And watched o'er its growth in its infancy's hour ? 
They 're sleeping in quiet beneath our blue sky ; 
Their names are immortal, they never may die. 



After music by the band, Rev. Thomas Savage, pastor of the 
Presbyterian church in Bedford for thirty-seven years, whose 
face it was pleasant for many to see, and voice to hear, as the 
friend and associate of Rev. Mr. Bradford, made a brief and 
pertinent address, by request of the President : after which a 
recess was taken for dinner. About five hundred being seated 
at the tables, the divine blessing was invoked by the Rev. Isaac 
Willey, for the last twenty-five years of Goffstown, and an asso- 
ciate of Bradford. Before leaving the tables, the following song 
was suns; : — 



16 

SONG. 
Aie, " Auld Lang Syne." 

We come from northern snow-draped homes, 

From western forest shade, 
From mast and mead, and sea-girt shore, 
And sunny everglade. 

For Auld Lang Syne, dear friends, 

For Auld Lang Syne ; 

Up to the old ancestral hills, 

For Auld Lang Syne. 

New Boston ! now to celebrate 

Thy birthday we are come, 
Nor need we here to ask " what cheer," 
The shout is, " welcome home ! " 

For Auld Lang Syne, dear friends, 

For Auld Lang Syne ; 
Glad greetings we exchange this day, 
For Auld Lang Syne. 

We've been where flows life's busy tide, 

With beauty, wit, and grace, , 
Yet e'er our throbbing hearts have yearned 
For thee, far dearer place. 

For Auld Lang Syne, dear friends, 

For Auld Lang Syne ; 
The very music of our lives 
Is Auld Lang Syne. 

We thank thee, Father, for the love 
And care which thou hast given ; 
For friends who meet as here at home, 
And those who wait in heaven. 

For Auld Lang Syne, dear friends, 

For Auld Lang Syne ; 
Our hearts with one affection beat, 
For Auld Lang Syne. 

For all, accept our humble praise, 

Still bless us with thy love, 
That we may all united be 
Within thy home above. 

For Auld Lang Syne, dear friends, 

For Auld Lang Syne ; 
We'll keep this union in our hearts, 
For Auld Lang Syne. 



17 

After brief addresses from several gentlemen, the following 
was sung, and the guests retired from the tables : — 

WELCOME OF THE FATHERS. 

Hear ye not the soft, low whispers, 

Breathing upward from the ground ? 
'Tis the voices of the fathers, 

Wafting their sweet welcome round. 

Welcome to these tents so goodly, 

Planted by our toilsome care ; 
Welcome to this breath of heaven, 

Soul-refreshing, native ah. 

At our coming none said welcome ; 

All was lonely, drear, and wild ; 
In the midst we built our altar, 

Soon an Eden round us smiled. 

Homes we sowed along the valley ; 

Leai'ning's dews we bade distil ; 
And the church, with wing o'ershadowing, 

Hovered on the highest hill. 

Slowly up the pathway climbing, 

Heaven grew nearer, and more sweet, 
And a glory filled the temple, 

Opening to receive our feet. 

Inward peace and outward trials, — 

We accepted both with praise : 
With our blessings take our counsel ; 

Children, keep the good old ways. 

Having reassembled in the church, the choir sang the follow- 
ing, by Mrs. Wason : — 

OUR EARLY FRIENDS. 

Our childhood's friends have met once more 

This side the shadowy land ; 
With cordial, earnest, youthful love, 

We'll grasp each proffered hand. 

Each dear remembered face we see, 
Wakes memory's slumbering chain ; 
3 



18 

Bids us tread back the lapse of years, 
And we are young again. 

"lis here our homes of long ago 

Yet lift each humble head ; 
The brown moss creeps o'er ancient walls 

That echo strangers' tread. 

The gray-haired sire is laid aside, 

And she who loved us best ; 
Naught but the archangel's trump shall break 

Their peaceful, quiet rest. 

Here Moor and Bradford fed their flocks, 

With earnest, Christian trust ; 
Breathed out their lives among our hills, 

And mingle now with dust. 

Our hearts grow tender yet at sound 

Of Bradford's cherished name, 
Whose noble form sleeps now with those 

Whose souls to bless he came. 

And she who walked beside his path, 

With patient, gentle love, 
Is waiting yet the summons, " Take 

Thy starry crown above." 

The everlasting hills remain 

Unchanged by time's decay ; 
Their towering cliffs point heavenward, 

As in our childhood's day. 

Warren R. Cochrane pronounced a spirited poem, and was 
followed, in response to various sentiments, by exceedingly 
interesting addresses from Josiah W. Fairfield, Esq., Perley 
Dodge, Esq., Dr. James H. Crombie, William Colburn,*L B., 
and Dr. Thomas H. Cochran, all of which, together with oth- 
ers for which there was not time, will appear in the following 
pages. After music by the band, and the singing by the choir 
of the following hymn by Mrs. Wason, the exercises of the day 
were closed amid the rejoicings of a nation over the victory at 
Gettysburg, and the fall of Vicksburg : — 



19 

OUE FATHERS. 

Our fathers' God, who dwell'st on high, 
Beyond the star-gem'd, azure sky, 
Behold what wondrous change appeal's, — 
The harvest of a hundred years. 

A hardy band of pioneers 
Hewed down the mighty forests here, 
And reared their church amid the wilds 
Where now the ripening harvest smiles. 

Along these hills and valleys green 
Their schools of learning soon were seen, 
Whose worth will gild our country's page 
With living light in every age. 

Those noble-hearted sires are gone, 
Their memories sweet will yet flow on, 
Their stern, deep-toned religious faith 
Outlives the mighty conqueror, Death. 

Our fathers' God, oh ! grant that we, 
Scions of noble ancestry, 
May imitate their virtues rare, 
And write our names in lines as fair. 

The Fourth of July occurred on Saturday, and, as those who 
had come to the old homestead would naturally desire to re- 
main over the Sabbath, appropriate arrangements had been 
made for continuing the services through the fifth ; and, though 
the rain fell abundantly, a good congregation convened in the 
morning. The services began with invocation and reading the 
78th Psalm, by Rev. Mr. Russell, of the Baptist church, and 
the singing a part of the 148th Psalm, P. M., by the choir ; 
after which prayer was offered by Rev. William Clark, of Am- 
herst, and the 78th Psalm, C. M., first part, was sung, and Hon. 
Gerry Whiting Cochrane, of Boston, member of Governor 
Andrew's council, made an exceedingly impressive address on 
the religious character of the early settlers, followed by delight- 
ful reminiscences of Rev. Mr. Bradford, by Rev. Mr. Buxton. 
After singing the Doxology, the morning services closed with 
the benediction by Rev. Mr. Buxton. 



20 

It had been arranged that the Sabbath Schools should be ad- 
dressed in the afternoon, and the services were appropriate to 
that object. Accordingly, though the storm continued, the 
house was well filled, and after singing by the schools, and 
prayer by Rev. Royal Parkinson, of Vermont, Rev. J. A. Good- 
hue made an interesting address on the advantages of rural 
homes to the young, and was followed by pertinent addresses 
from Rev. Messrs. Clark and Buxton ; and after them J. W. 
Fairfield, Esq., spoke of contentment with our lot as being a 
great source of happiness. The substance of his remarks we 
here give : — 

There were some things with which we ought not to be content, but 
should try to rid ourselves of them. Every new generation ought to strive 
to surpass the preceding in intelligence, enterprise, and thrift ; in deeds of be" 
nevolence, and excellence of moral character. With imperfections and evils 
which can. be remedied we are never to be content ; but, we are often discon- 
tented with what is for our highest interest to retain. I have been a superin- 
tendent of a Sabbath school thirty years, and have been brought much into 
contact with children, and have observed that they are apt to become dissat- 
isfied with the Sabbath school, and leave ; but the result is always painful: 
They forsake the sanctuary, aud trample upon the law of the Sabbath. Then 
they yield to temptations to dissipation, become assimilated to vicious com- 
panions, and soon are utterly ruined. Sometimes children become dissatisfied 
with the restraints of home, and break loose from them, and the same painful 
results are reached. 

Grown-up people become dissatisfied with their homes and neighbors, 
sell out, and seek new ones, but are seldom at rest afterwards, for the 
reason that they cai'ry themselves — the real cause of their discontent — 
with them. If they could leave themselves behind, there might be some 
chance of improvement; but, taking with them their moral characters, 
modes of thought, habits, and tastes, they only change the place, while they 
keep the pain. To improve their happiness, they must rectify themselves* 
and then discontent will cease. So men become dissatisfied with the gospel. 
Dr. Lord said, some years since, that the gospel had proved a failure. But it 
is not so ; there never was a time when the gospel was a greater power for 
good than now ; nor when' its advocates wielded it with greater success. 
Some people become dissatisfied with it when it insists upon a holy life ; when 
it demands justice and benevolence ; and at first refuse to pay anything for 
it, then to hear it at all, — not because the gospel has changed, but because 
its demands exceed what they are willing to yield ; because it condemns their 
principles and conduct, and exposes the turpitude of their hearts, and the 
wrongness of their lives. They charge the blame of all this to the change in 
the gospel, or its wrong interpretation, when the fault lies within themselves. 



21 



They allowed the fire that ought always to burn on the altar of the heart, to 
become extinguished, and the light that was once in them to become darkness ; 
and how great that darkness is, may be seen by the fact that they neglect the 
gospel with its ordinances, and refuse to aid in sustaining the worship of 
the sanctuary ; and thus, in respect to them, the gospel does prove a failure ? 
it fails to make them just, benevolent, and useful to others, and lovely in the 
sight of God. If there ever comes upon New England a fearful night of 
moral darkness and woe, it will be when the people are unwilling to have the 
practical doctrines of godliness pressed home upon their conscience, and refuse 
to put their hands deep into their pockets for the support of the institutions 
of religion. The greatest calamity that ever befell any community was the 
conviction that the gospel was worth nothing, and the corresponding neglect 
of it. Woe to my native town when she comes lightly to esteem the Sabbath 
and the sanctuary, and to look upon the minister of the gospel with suspicion, 
and his messages as of no weighty importance. Then, the glory of the town 
that boasts of an ancestry distinguished for their appreciation of the institu- 
tions of religion, will have departed, and the names of godly men and women 
will be disgraced by children and grandchildren who hallow not the Sabbath 
nor enter the sanctuary ; but who bear about with them the evidences of self- 
ruin. Here, now, and probably for the last time, and just upon the close of 
this great feast and commingling of hearts, with the teachings of the past 
and spirits of the venerated fathers around us, we, who have returned to enjoy 
this blessed pentecost, lift up our voices, and bear our testimony to the value 
of the gospel, and warn you who remain of the danger and fearful calamity 
which will inevitably come upon you if you prize not the institutions of reli- 
gion. If you neglect them, you neglect your own souls ; if you reject the 
teachings of the gospel, you do your own souls a fearful injury, and entail 
upon other generations inconceivable misery. 

Rev. Mr. Goodhue made remarks suggested by the inquiry, 
Where will be our home a hundred years hence ? The chil- 
dren then sung " A Hundred Years to Come," and the services 
were closed with prayer and benediction by Rev. Mr. Goodhue, 
after a few farewell words from the President to the great num- 
bers who had so cheerfully responded to the invitation to visit 
the homes of their earlier days. 

All the exercises of the Sabbath were highly appropriate, 
and all the utterances of the day were words fitly spoken ; were 
" apples of gold in pictures of silver." Several of the addresses 
will appear in the ensuing pages, and will serve to keep alive 
the remembrance of the day. When the services were ended, 
all lingered long, as unwilling to leave a scene so fraught with 
interest. Many kind wishes were expressed, and tender adieus 



22 



uttered, all saying, " It has been good to be here." During 
the two days, great quiet and the utmost order prevailed, and 
nothing occurred to detract from the enjoyment of the occasion ; 
but it will be remembered ever as the richest feast of reason 
and flow of soul which a lifetime is permitted to enjoy. 



HON. CLARK B. COCHRANE. 



Mr. Cochrane was born in 1813, the son of Mr. John Coch- 
rane, who resided on the north declivity of Joe English, where 
his youth was spent in labor upon the farm, and attendance at 
the district school. He commenced fitting for college in 1832, 
at Atkinson Academy, under John Kelly, Esq., and completed 
his preparation at Francestown Academy, under Mr. B. F. 
Wallace, and at Nashua, under Mr. Crosby, having read Latin 
one or two terms with Mr. Edward Buxton. He entered Union 
College in 1835, and graduated in 1839. He was admitted to 
the bar in 1841, and commenced the practice of law at Amster- 
dam, N. Y., removing in 1851 to Schenectady, and thence in 

1855 to Albany, where he now resides. In 1844, he repre- 
sented in the State Legislature, Montgomery County, and in 

1856 was elected to represent in the United States Congress, 
the counties of Schenectady, Schoharie, Montgomery, and Ful- 
ton, and was reelected in 1858. Mr. Cochrane was married in 
1839 to Miss Rebecca Wheeler, of New York, and has one 
daughter, Mary Frances. By his legal skill, Mr. Cochrane has 
gained an enviable position among honorable competitors, and 
is widely known as a Christian gentleman, with a heart and 
hand for every good object. In politics he is a Republican, 
embracing the cause of the 'Union with an undivided heart. 
In selecting one to prepare and deliver the historical address 
on the Centennial occasion, Mr. Cochrane seemed in all respects 
fitted for the duty, and the rich feast which he prepared for 
that day is now spread for the reader. 




- 




<^^/^^y^^^>1^?^^s 



ADDRESS. 



There is a sentiment in the human heart answering to the 
summons which brings us to this feast of memory. We gather 
at this centre of interest and friendship, from distant homes 
and varied lines of life, in obedience to a common instinct of 
our nature. Attachment to the place of birth, the scenes of 
childhood, the home of kindred, and the burial-grounds of our 
fathers, springs from an affection inherent in our humanity. 
As the exhausted tides, by an irresistible law of nature, roll 
back to their ocean home, so through their deepest channels 
the warm and wearied currents of the sonl return to the asso- 
ciations, the play-grounds, the companions, of early years. 
When the patriarch Joseph, looking to the promised exodus, 
though wearing the second honors of Egypt, gave his brethren 
" commandment concerning his bones," he did but express a 
desire instinctive and common to mankind under all conditions 
and in every age. 

" Breathes there the man with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself has said, 

This is my own, my native land ! 
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, 
As home his footsteps he hath turned, 

From wandering on a foreign strand ! " 

Yon, who have continued to occupy the old domain, and in- 
herit the paternal soil, have never felt, and therefore cannot 
appreciate, the power of those ties which link the heart of the 
emigrant to the home of his youth. It is recorded of Abraham, 
as a test of eminent faith, that when the command came, " Get 
thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy 
father's house," he " departed, as the Lord had spoken." It is 
the wanderer whose dreams are of the u fireside afar." 'Tis 

4 



26 



in the land of strangers, remote from former friends, away from 
all that had been loved and left behind, in the distant pursuits 
of fortune or fame, and amid the perplexities of trade, the 
exhaustion of mind, the disappointments, toils, and tumults of 
hurried life, that our thoughts dwell in the past and our weary 
spirits pant for the green fields of youth and the spring-time 
of life. 

With us, from whom the bloom and blessings of young ex- 
istence have long since departed, the memory of its scenes, the 
attachments it formed, the places it loved, and the objects it ' 
cherished, retain a freshness and power which years and ab- 
sence serve only to increase. 

" Time but the impression deeper makes, 
As streams their channels deeper wear." 

As the dreary winds and falling leaves of autumn force a 
sigh for the balmy air and vernal glories of the opening year, 
so the weariness and burdens of ripening age drive our thoughts 
back to the sunny season of youth and hope, when, exempt from 
cares and sheltered by a mother's love, the present had no sor- 
rows, and, to the eye of young ambition, the future no clouds. 

" Who has not felt how growing use endears 
The fond remembrance of our former years ; 
Who has not sighed, when doomed to leave at last 
The hopes of youth, the habits of the past, 
The thousand ties and interests that impart 
A second nature to the human heart, 
And wreathing round it close, like tendrils climb, 
Blooming with age and sanctified by time." 

The present is an opportunity long wished for, — at length 
enjoyed. We are here for no purpose of gain or ambition, to 
inaugurate' no enterprise which might hold out to the greedy 
eye of capital promised returns of wealth and power ; we come 
to contend for none of those glittering but delusive prizes 
which tempt the feet of this world's votaries to the arena of 
discord and strife. Far different is our mission. Ours is a 
pilgrimage of the heart, an errand of friendship, the presenta- 
tion of a united social offering to the homes and the days of 
" lang syne." The selfish passions of the soul are left behind, 



27 



and all its nobler impulses, all its kindlier sensibilities, are 
called into highest activity. 

It would be difficult to imagine an occasion which, for us, 
could possess greater interest. 

New Boston, our native town, the home we loved and left, 
has made a banquet for her absent children, and we are here. 
Driving along the distant avenues and dusty ways of life, we 
heard the mother's call, and we have hurried home to partake 
of her hospitality, and receive her grateful welcome. 

Fellow-townsmen, neighbors, kinsmen, friends, we thank you 
for this public expression of your kind remembrance, — for this 
most generous greeting, this grand and affectionate reception, 
— for this " feast of reason and flow of soul." The table which 
you have with so much liberality spread before us is wanting 
in no luxury which may tempt the social appetite. Decked 
and perfumed with the choicest flowers of memory, sparkling 
with nectar which the gods yield only to the lips of earliest 
and truest friendships, and twined with evergreens connecting 
the present with a cherished past, we approach it as the one 
entertainment, the crowning festival of our lives. 

After long years of separation and varied vicissitudes, we 
meet again at the place from whence we went out. We parted 
as friends, as friends we meet ; we left in the bloom of life and 
hope, we return faded by time and worn by cares. Our several 
ways have led us in widely divergent lines. Our lots have been 
cast in places remote from you and from each other. But 
neither absence nor distance, prosperity nor adversity, suc- 
cesses nor disappointments, have served to wean our hearts 
from the friends and firesides we left behind, nor make us 
forget the woods and the streams, the hills and the valleys, the 
rocks and the glens, with which we communed when life was 
new. From the western prairies, from the shores of the great 
lakes, from the valley of the Hudson, from the commercial me- 
tropolis of the continent, from the cities and villages of the 
Atlantic seaboard, from the manufacturing towns and along 
the rivers and among the mountains of our own New England, 
animated with one spirit and impelled by a single impulse, 
we have hastened to join this reunion of kindred hearts, and 
here, at the common source of our several life-streams, once 



28 

more drink together at the pure fountains of childhood, and 
renew our strength for what remains of life's battle amid the 
bracing air and among the bracing friends of our rocky home. 

The circumstances under which we are reassembled are 
peculiarly happy in their combination, and are such as can 
rarely occur in the history of any local community. The day, 
the year, the preparation, the gathering, the scene, all unite in 
crowding within the limits of a few passing hours the highest 
social pleasures, the most hallowed recollections of a lifetime. 

It is, indeed, a genial and joyous occasion ; a grateful halt- 
ing-place by the wayside of life ; a green spot, to which we 
gladly turn aside from the heated and bustling ways over which 
we are driven along, to pass a brief season in fraternal saluta- 
tions, in happy greetings, in pleasant and cheerful intercourse ; to 
meet old friends, and revive former friendships ; to recall the 
innocent sports, the delightful scenes, the genial memories of 
early years ; to inquire of you and each other how it has fared 
with us during these many years of separation ; what joys, 
what sorrows, what successes, what reverses, what lights, and 
what shadows have checkered life. 

As the present is a time for gladness, so also it is a time for 
retrospect and gratitude, as well. We rejoice at the multiplied 
evidences of your prosperity ; that the ancient character of the 
old town for industry, enterprise, hospitality, and intelligence 
has sustained no detriment at your hands. If you have re- 
ceived from us a less revenue of honor and credit than you 
had reason to expect, you cannot justly reproach us with 
having brought upon the names we bear, or the lineage we 
claim, the taint of disgrace or dishonor. Between you who 
have remained and us 1 who have returned let there be the full 
flow of fraternal fellowship and generous gratulations, chas- 
tened by a grateful sense that whatever of good fortune has 
attended either, is due to that benignant Being, who " tempers 
the winds to the shorn lamb," and who, of all true, good, and 
right living, is at once " the friend, inspirer," guardian, and 
reward." 

Since coming among you, we have not failed to make the 
most of time and opportunity; we have lived youth over again. 
Leaving age and cares, we have gone back into the past. We 



29 



have revelled in a full harvest of familiar scenes and ani- 
mating recollections. 

The earth and air are fragrant with childhood memories. 
The noise of rural industry, the lowing of herds, the murmur 
of streams, the hum of bees, the varied song of birds, the 
drum of the partridge, and the voice of the whippoorwill, sounds, 
which, mingled with life's earliest dreams, have been again 
heard among our native hills. We have stood and gazed up- 
ward, once more, full in the face of old Joe English, whose 
stately form and solemn features impressed our infant thoughts, 
and whose rugged ascent and airy summit first tempted the 
ambitious adventures of our boyhood. We have again followed 
the famous Piscataquog, still winding its resolute way through 
the heart of the old township, reminding us, at every turn, of 
" home and friends and that sweet time " when, boys together, 
we listened to its music, bathed in its waters, and played along 
its banks. Nor have we forgotten the Meeting House Common 
or the sandy slope in front of the Hall, where, on training- 
days, the New Boston Artillery, now an institution of the past, 
with measured tread, martial airs, and nodding plume's, was 
accustomed to parade, taking captive our eager hearts and 
stirring our young spirits to envy and admiration. We have 
again labored up the sides of the old "hill pastures," on 
every square rod of which, when boys at home, we had brushed 
the dew with our bare and battered feet, and amid whose end- 
less perplexities of heap and hollow, rock, stub, thistle, bush, 
brake, and fern, in hunting the cattle, or attempting to head off 
some antic horse or provoking steer, our young tempers had 
been subjected to sorest trial. We have been to the school- 
house to see once more the oft-remembered grounds, where, 
with merry voices, we had so often gamed and frolicked, when 
" playful children just let loose from school ;"— to the gray 
church-yard, through whose solemn gateway, during these long- 
years of absence, have been borne, one after another, the 
remains of those whom, in life, we had known and loved, to 
mingle with the kindred dust of three generations of our fore- 
fathers ; — have gazed upon the same sky which bent over us 
in infancy, still floating the summer clouds, in whose fleeting- 
shadows, emblems of human life and glory, we accept in age 



30 



the lessons rejected in youth. Have mused where once we 
played, light of heart, beside the " story-telling glens and 
founts and brooks." Have looked out upon the same grand 
old woods ; — upon the fields smiling in the same variegated 
garniture ; — upon 

" The orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangled wild wood, t 
And every loved spot that our infancy knew." 

" The wide-spreading pond and the mill that stood by it, 
The bridge and the rock where the cataract fell, 
The cot of our father, the dairy-house nigh it, 
And e'en the rude bucket that hung in the well." 

Turning from " all the landscape smiling near," familiar 
objects still remain, to which distance lends enchantment. 

Within the ample circle marked by the horizon — the grand 
and diversified panorama, the first upon which we lifted our 
eyes — there's no feature we do not recognize ; not a picture, 
not a group we do not recall ; familiar friends, old acquaint- 
ances all. Yonder, unchanged by time, the Uncannoonucs, 
sisters of one birth, still lifting their graceful forms to the 
clouds, stand as when we first beheld them, the same faithful 
sentinels at the gates of the morning. From the stormy north 
old Kearsearge, guarding the approaches to the enchanted 
regions of the White Hills, heaves as of old his huge and gran- 
ite shoulders high in air. Towards the quarter whence Com- 
eth the summer shower, the same lofty pile still arrests the 
eye, as when, driving our father's team afield, we saw the thun- 
der-cloud break and recoil from the assault upon his forked 
summit. Standing out against the evening sky is seen the 
same mellow outline of hills behind which, when we were 
young, the sun, as now, went down to rest, drawing after him 
the same unfading curtains of purple and gold ; while away in 
the hazy distance beyond grand Monadnock towering upward 
in silent and solitary grandeur, bares, as of yore, his un- 
daunted and imperial head to the bolting artillery of the skies. 
To the south, the green slopes and Wooded ridges of Mount 
Vernon, the plains of- Amherst, the pine forests of Merrimack, 
now as formerly, sleep in peaceful repose, and, blending with 
the less distinct landscape beyond, form a picture of rare and 



31 



quiet beauty as it stretches outward and onward towards the 
sea. 

" Oh, nature, how in every charm supreme, 
Whose votaries feast on raptures ever new, 
Oh, for the voice and fire of Seraphim, 
To sing thy glories with devotion due." 

Such are the external scenes and surroundings from which 
the sons and daughters of New Boston drew their early inspi- 
4 ration, and under the influences of which were shaped and 
tempered the elements of their growth and character. Nature 
rarely fails to impress something of her own features upon 
the children whom she nourishes upon her bosom. 

Where the earth rises to meet the heavens ; where cataracts 
foam and the waters leap ; where, above the herds that graze 
and the fields that bloom in the valleys below, the eagle wheels 
to his home in the cliffs, 'tis there, other conditions being 
equal, that the soul most surely " looks up through nature to 
nature's God;" — that the seeds of liberty and virtue take read- 
iest and firmest root, and the abodes of men are safest from 
violence and plunder. 

" Nature, we owe thee much if we have felt 
Aught of the firm resolve or wish sublime, 

• 'Tis that Ave drank from thee the heavenly draught, 
And gave thy moral image to the world." 

Peculiarly gratifying as are the circumstances under which 
we meet ; though fraught with so much of traditional interest 
and social inspiration, the occasion is not free from suggestions 
of sadness. Of those, who have gone out from among you 
within the memory of the present generation, a part only have 
returned. Some who had hoped to mingle in our festivities 
have been providentially prevented. Others, whose address 
was unknown or uncertain, have failed of notice. Many, very 
' many, have passed beyond the call of earthly friendships. As 
well among us who left as you who remained, death has done 
its inevitable work. Since last we met, who of us all has not 
lost a friend ? Of all the family circles to which we claim kin- 
dred, what one has remained unbroken ? Some have passed 
away in the bright morning of hope and promise ; others have 



32 

fallen in the strength and noon of life and labor. In the case 
of a few, the silver cord has remained unloosed until the eye 
became dim and the grasshopper a burden. 

How few of the fathers and mothers who bowed at these 
altars, and worshiped in this mountain, when we were young, 
are here to greet us to-day ! 

It is not our purpose to obtrude upon the pleasures of this 
festive season, the memory of private griefs or individual sor- 
row, of which we have all had our allotted share, or say aught , 
that might open those heart-wounds over which time has passed 
his kind and healing hand. But there is one bereavement in 
which we all equally share, all sorrowing for the loss of one in 
whom, while living, we found a common friend and father, 
which forces itself upon our attention, and claims from the 
passing hour a tribute of filial recognition. To this our social 
jubilee the charm of his presence is wanting. We miss his 
genial smile, the cordial grasp of his hand, his words of affec- 
tionate welcome, his parental benediction. Assembled to mark 
an era and commemorate so much that is local and interest- 
ing in our history as a community, it is impossible not to recur 
to the name of one whose memory, fragrant with a thousand 
grateful recollections, looks out upon us from every whispering 
tree and ancient pathway like a living presence, reminding us 
of the plastic and moulding genius, that seized upon the ele- 
ments of youthful character and gave them the touch and 
tone of virtuous manhood and womanly grace, evolving fresh 
vigor as the years have waned. For a period of forty years, 
embracing two-fifths of the century now closing, he moved 
among his people, their acknowledged head, teacher, and guide ; 
a living exemplar of whatever is pure and excellent in moral 
and Christian living. To advance your social prosperity, your 
educational interests, and secure the present and eternal well- 
being of yourselves and your children, was the unselfish bur- 
den of his heart, the labor of his life. Faithful to every duty, 
public and private, failing in attention to no class or condition, 
with a wise reference to the great truth in the economy of 
growth, that upon the seed-time depends the future harvest, 
he took especial interest in the training and education of the 
young. How vididly do we recall his periodical visitations to 



33 



the district schools, regularly occurring at the beginning and 
again at the close of each term ! They were the events of our 
school-day years. With what anxious carefulness of prepara- 
tion, with what lively emotions of anticipated pleasure, we 
awaited his coming. The young eyes turning, in spite of 
rules, a sly glance through the window, lighted up with new 
animation as they saw his approach ; expectation stood on 
tiptoe as the well-known knock was heard at the door, and the 
whole school rose to welcome, with the affectionate homage of 
their obeisance, the advent of a recognized benefactor and 
friend. No merited praise was withheld, and criticism, when 
required, was administered with wisdom and charity. He 
brought a kind word for all, — assurance of reward for the dil- 
igent, encouragement for the backward, hope for the timid, a 
sure return of happiness for the good, and to the young aspir- 
ings of those of brightest promise, though clad in homeliest 
garb, were held up the attractive awards of future eminence 
and success. The performance of his parochial duties was 
without partiality. In visiting the homes of the more afflu- 
ent, he passed not by the dwellings of the poor. In both he 
was equally at home, and equally welcome. His words, always 
fitly spoken, were as " apples of gold in pictures of silver," and 
" as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies." When the 
ear heard him, then it blessed him ; and when the eye saw him, 
it gave witness to him. 

Unto him men gave ear, and waited and kept silence at his 
counsel. They waited for him as for the rain, and they opened 
their mouth wide as for the latter rain. 

In the house of gladness his presence and chastened vivacity 
served but to heighten every innocent pleasure, and to the 
house of sickness and mourning he hastened to bear, from his 
Master, precious words of mercy and consolation, — words 
which few knew so well how to administer. 

" At church, with meek and unaffected grace, 
His looks adorned the venerable place ; 
Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, 
And fools who came to scoff, remained to pray." 

Possessed of a mind richly endowed by nature and cultivation, 
of conversational powers of rarest fascination, added to a pres- 



34 



ence, at once agreeable and commanding, he took rank from 
the first among the most gifted and intellectual of his contem- 
poraries. Though eminently qualified for success in situations 
affording broader range for intellectual activity and display, he 
was content to complete the measure of his life and ministry 
in the less ambitious field to which he was first called, and, at 
last, be laid to rest among the people to whom his youthful 
strength and his earliest and only vows were given. 

Venerable man ! " None knew him but to love him, none 
named him but to praise." And, so long as the Christian faith 
shall preserve this tabernacle, and here maintain an altar, the 
name of Ephraim Putnam Bradford shall live in the affection- 
ate memory of men. 

We have met, fellow-townsmen, for an historic as well as 
social purpose ; to chronicle events while we glean in the 
field of recollection ; to pause in the rapid round of years, 
review the past, and make a record ; to witness the closing 
scenes of a dying century, and raise a monument, and trace 
upon it a brief inscription to its memory. Though the range 
of immediate inquiry is narrow -and special, the task of its ex- 
amination which we propose to ourselves on this occasion, is 
not devoid of general interest. The records of states and na- 
tions are made up from local and partial annals. From out 
just such materials as the threads and fragments, which the 
people of New Boston this day " rescue from the common de- 
cay," the historic muse weaves with cunning hand the varie- 
gated web of the ages. 

The events connected with the first settlement of New Bos- 
ton, about the year 1733, and its incorporation thirty years later 
by the provincial government of New Hampshire, carry us back 
to an age in which the great thought of separate nationality 
had not been conceived, and far into the colonial period of 
American history, to a time when our judges sat in the ermine 
of Westminster Hall, and governors and magistrates ruled by 
commissions from the crown ; when men were yet strong who 
had triumphed with Marlborough at Blenheim and B-amiilies, 
and our martial ancestors celebrated in scarlet uniforms the 
imperishable anniversaries in the calendar of British glory; 
to a period before the French empire in America had been dis- 



35 



solved in the shock of battle on the plains of Abraham, or the 
brave Scottish clans who welcomed Charles Edward to the 
Highlands had seen the last hope of the house of Stewart 
perish on the field of Culloden. 

Men and generations pass away, but society and the race 
continue, and the cause of human progress and civilization, 
events and their logic, march steadily forward. Youth is re- 
newed at the grave of age, and over the ruins of universal 
death new and better forms of life perpetually spring. 

Our origin as a community is involved in no obscurity. It 
is traceable in plain history, not in uncertain fable. In nation- 
ality, it was Scotch ; in Christianity, Protestant ; in theology, 
Calvinistic ; in sect, Presbyterian . We trace the well-marked 
line of descent and emigration backward, first to Londonderry, 
New Hampshire ; thence to the counties of Londonderry and 
Antrim, in the north of Ireland ; and from thence to Argyle- 
shire and Ayrshire, its source, in the west of Scotland. 

Than ours, few communities can claim a worthier genealogy, 
or trace a nobler ancestral record. Though compelled to force 
subsistence from a reluctant soil, though inhabiting a land en- 
circled by wintry seas, piled with mountains, roaring with tor- 
rents and wrapt in storms, the Scottish race have achieved 
results and attained a rank which have challenged the respect 
and admiration of the world. From external fortune was 
fashioned the interior character, and both were of iron. Emerg- 
ing in advance of most of the countries of Europe, from out 
the barbarism of the middle ages, Scotland has continued for 
more than seven centuries an historic and civilizing power 
among the nations of the earth. Like her national " thistle," 
blooming for her friends and bristling to her enemies, in every 
period of her history, she has been true to her motto, — 

" Nemo me impune lacessit." 

As the " ever-green pine " of Clan Alpine, moored in the " rift- 
ed rock proof to the tempest shock," she still abides in immortal 
youth, with eye undimmed and strength unabated, bearing 
" length of days in her right hand, and in her left hand riches 
and honor." In literature, science, and philosophy, notwith- 
standing her comparatively small population, the array of brill- 



36 

iant names she has given to the world is excelled by no country, 
ancient or modern. 

From the Tweed to the Orkneys, and from the frith of Tay 
to Loch Shiel, there is no rood of ground which the pen of her 
gifted sons has not made classical. The yearly pilgrimages 
made by poets, scholars, and tourists to the various objects of 
natural grandeur and beauty with which Scotland abounds, are 
but the homage which taste and learning annually pay to the 
genius of Burns, of Scott, of Wilson and of Macaulay, who, in 
deathless song and matchless prose, have invested the estuaries 
and lochs, the mountains and glens, the banks and braes, the 
" heathy moors and winding vales " of our fatherland, with life 
and enchantment. Katrine and Loch-Lomond, Benvenue and 
Benan, the " Sweeping Nith " and " Bonny Doon," glowing 
afar in the attractions of romance, will carry down to remotest 
time the names which have made them immortal. 

The rigors of climate, the severities of labor, the protracted 
conflicts to which they have been subjected, and through which 
as well as over which they have triumphed, joined to native 
force of intellect and a stern Christian faith, have given charac- 
ter to the Scotch, and enabled them to exhibit, in every condi- 
tion and under all vicissitudes of fortune, those combined quali- 
ties of valor, energy, intelligence, constancy, and self-command 
which create success and exempt nations and individuals alike 
from the possibilities of failure. It need, therefore, excite no 
surprise that the inhospitable shores, the bleak mountains, the 
rocky soil, and the rugged primeval forests of New England 
had no terrors for and presented no obstacles to our hardy 
ancestors. They came to their work of settlement and empire 
with fearless hearts and resolute hands, trusting alone in the 
favor of Heaven and their own strong arms for success. 

Upon the death of Elizabeth, in 1603, James the First of 
England and Sixth of Scotland succeeded to the British throne. 
During the early period of his reign, he directed his attention 
to the improvement and reformation of Ireland. The cruel 
and barbarous customs, which had prevailed among the aborigi- 
nal inhabitants, were abolished, and the English laws, with 
courts for their administration, were substituted in their stead. 
Upon the suppression of a revolt, which had been raised 



37 

against his authority, the insurrectionary district, embracing 
the province of Ulster, by attainder of the rebel chiefs, reverted 
to the Crown. Liberal grants of the forfeited lands were 
made to companies formed in London, in aid of the royal 
scheme of securing the permanent pacification of the insurgent 
district by the introduction of emigrants from England and 
Scotland. Under the encouraging auspices of the Crown, the 
process of colonization went rapidly forward. Industry and 
the arts went with the colonists. The effect produced by the 
introduction of the new element among the native material 
soon vindicated the wisdom of the enterprise. Violence and 
crime diminished, and the country began at once to assume the 
appearance of comparative order and civilization. The rebel- 
lion had left the ancient city of Derry in ruins. With a view 
to its reconstruction, the site upon which it had stood, together 
with six thousand acres of adjacent lands, were granted to the 
city of London in its corporate capacity, whence the old city 
and county of Derry received the name of Londonderry. Emi- 
grants from Scotland, companies of whom began to arrive as 
early as 1612, settled in the counties of Londonderry and 
Antrim, which thus became for a long and eventful period the 
home of our ancestors. During the three following reigns, and 
including the period of the commonwealth, the colonists in Ire- 
land continued to receive, from time to time, large accessions 
to their numbers from among their kindred and countrymen 
from England and Scotland. So that, at the commencement 
of the memorable struggle of 1688, which resulted in the com- 
plete dethronement of James the Second, and his final expul- 
sion from the British islands, the Protestants of Ulster had 
become, not indeed numerically, but by reason of superior 
energy, skill, and intelligence, the dominant and controlling 
class in the north of Ireland. Throughout that renowned con- 
test of arms, their zeal, endurance, and intrepidity have never 
been surpassed. To their long and heroic defence of London- 
derry, by which the French and Irish army was for months 
baffled and delayed, and before which it finally rolled back 
over the line of its advance, broken and demoralized, the cause 
of freedom and Christian civilization is in no small degree in- 
debted for the success of that most auspicious and happy of 



38 



revolutions which brought William of Orange and Mary to the 
throne. 

Subsequent to this event, and a little less than thirty years 
thereafter, one hundred and twenty families of Scotch descent, 
from the counties before mentioned, among whom were many 
who had witnessed and some who had participated in the 
memorable siege, prompted chiefly by the hope of securing a 
larger measure of civil and religious liberty, prepared to bid a 
final adieu to the old world, and try their fortune in the new. 

They left the shores of Ireland in five ships, and arrived 
at Boston August 4, 1718. Sixteen of these families, having 
obtained from the authorities of Massachusetts leave to locate 
upon any of the unappropriated lands under the jurisdiction 
of that province, a township of twelve miles square, proceeded, 
during the autumn, to Casco Bay, with the design of settling 
in the neighborhood of what is now Portland ; if, upon view, a 
satisfactory location should be found. The expedition proved 
unsuccessful. After passing, in the harbor of Falmouth, a 
winter of unusual severity, through which they were subjected 
to extreme suffering, both from cold and hunger, they started 
upon their return on the first opening of spring, and, coasting 
westward, entered the mouth of the Merrimack, and ascending 
it to the head of navigation, landed at Haverhill, then a fron- 
tier town, on the second of April, 1719. At this place flat- 
tering representations were made to them of a tract of country 
lying but a few miles northerly, to which, by reason of the 
abundance and variety' of nuts found there, had been given the 
name of Nuffield. Thither the impatient adventurers, without 
delay, bent their weary but still resolute steps, and on the 
eleventh of April rested upon the soil of our then future Lon- 
donderry. It was the time of spring. Nature, throughout all 
her myriad arteries, was throbbing with the tides of returning 
life. The wild grass was springing in the narrow glades and 
along the margin of the streams ; the forests of sturdy growth, 
swelling with preparation, were just ready to burst into ver- 
dure ; and every living thing, that had a voice, joined in a 
general chorus of welcome to the vernal year. It was the 
season of hope, and the scene was one of gladness. Here the 
little company of emigrants, weak in numbers but strong in 



39 

spirit, at once determined to locate their grant and build their 
homes. Committing themselves and their infant enterprise to 
the keeping of that Being in whom they reverently trusted, 
they went to the work assigned them with a faith that never 
faltered, and with hands that never tired. 

Had the acquisition of fame been the end at which they 
aimed, their aspirations must have been fully satisfied could 
they have seen the distinguished position they were destined to 
occupy in the domain of history. But such was not the ambi- 
tion which led them on. 

" Not as the conqueror comes, 

They, the true-hearted, came ; 
Not with the roll of the stirring drums 
And the trumpet that sings of fame. 

Not as the flying come, 

In silence, and in fear : 
They shook the depths of the forest gloom 

With their hymns of lofty cheer. 



What sought they thus afar ? 

Bright jewels of the mine ? 
The wealth of seas ? the spoils of war ? 

They sought a faith's pure shrine. 

Ay, call it holy ground, — 

The soil where first they trod ! 
They have left unstained what there they found, — 

Freedom to worship God." 

Then and there were laid the foundations of a community 
which was destined to act a most important and distinguished 
part in the future settlement, growth, and triumphs of New 
Hampshire. Prosperity attended this colony from the begin- 
ing. The tomahawk and torch of the savage, by which so many 
neighboring settlements had been surprised and desolated, 
came not near its borders. The pestilence, which had wasted 
so many colonies, averted its breath from this. For nearly or 
quite a half century, accessions were almost yearly made to its 
strength and numbers from the ranks of newly-arrived emi- 
grants of like faith and blood. The history of this community, 



40 

from its inception, was one of uninterrupted growth and suc- 
cess. It proved a fountain from which, as well as into which, 
streams of emigration flowed. It is estimated that there are 
now living more than twenty-five thousand persons, some of 
whom are to be found in almost every town of New England, 
and not a few beyond its borders, who derived their origin from 
this people. Windham and Londonderry, Vt. ; Cherry Valley, 
N. Y. ; Windham, N. H. ; Acworth, Chester, Manchester, Bed- 
ford, New Boston, Antrim, Peterborough, Francestown, Goffs- 
town, Henniker, and Deering were first settled, all of them 
largely, and several of them, including New Boston, almost en- 
tirely, by emigrants from Londonderry. Of New Boston it may 
be said, more emphatically than of any other town, she was' the 
child of Londonderry. 

Many other settlements received early and important acces- 
sions from the same source, and, notwithstanding these heavy 
drafts upon her population, the mother township numbered 
within her own borders, in 1775, two thousand five hundred 
and ninety souls. 

Having thus briefly traced the history of the colony by whose 
sturdy sons and sterling daughters our own town was founded 
and its character and institutions formed, it only remains to be 
added, that no community within the limits of New Hampshire 
has exerted a wider or happier influence in shaping the destinies 
and advancing the honor of the State, than Londonderry. 

Throughout the struggle of the Revolution no town displayed 
greater unanimity, constancy, and zeal for the patriot cause, or 
made larger contributions of men and means to secure its suc- 
cess. Thornton, Stark, Reid, Gregg, and McCleary are of the 
men she gave to the cause and the country, — names which 
have shed imperishable lustre upon the annals of the States, and 
abide forever in the gratitude of a free people. 

THE GEANT. 

New Boston was granted, January 14, 1736, by " the Great 
and General Court or Assembly, for His Majesty's province of 
Massachusetts Bay," to John Simpson and fifty-two others, in- 
habitants of Boston. The name New Boston, which was sug- 



41 

gested from the residence of the grantees, was first applied to 
the township by the proprietors on the 16th of April, 1751, in a 
call for a meeting, as follows : " The proprietors of a township 
granted to John Simpson and others, and lying on the branches 
of Piscataquog river, known by the name of New Boston, are 
hereby notified," &c. 

The proprietors held tieir first meeting April 21, 1736, 
" at the house of Luke Vardy," Boston. 

In the records of their proceedings from 1736 to 1751, the 
township is variously designated, sometimes as " the township 
granted to John Simpson and others ; " sometimes as " the 
township lying on the branches of the Piscataquog river, 
bounded on two of the Narraganset towns, viz., No. 3 and No. 
5 " (Amherst and Bedford) ; and again as " the new township 
lying on the south and middle branches of the Piscataquog 
river." 

The grant was of " a township in the unappropriated lands 
of the province, of the contents of six miles square, with one 
thousand acres added for ponds," and two rods in each hundred 
" for unevenness of surface and swagg of chain." In pursuance 
of authority contained in the act, the grant was located in Feb- 
ruary, 1736 (new style), by a survey made by Jeremiah Cum- 
mings, surveyor, and Zacheus Lovewell and James Cummings, 
chainmen, appointed and sworn for that purpose, and as thus 
located, the grant was confirmed the 20th of the following 
March. 

For a part of the distance on two sides, the survey bounded 
the township by Amherst and Bedford, then known as the 
Narraganset towns, Nos. 3 and 5. The rest of the way the 
line was run through " province lands " by courses and monu- 
ments. The lines then established remain the present bounda- 
ries of the town. 

In 1746, an event occurred which occasioned no inconsidera- 
ble alarm, not only to the proprietor! of New Boston, but on 
the part of land-o*\ r ners throughout the province as well, who 
held their grants under the government of Massachusetts. The 
claim put forth by the Masons to the soil of New Hampshire, 
and from time to time pressed with great pertinacity and 
various success, had long been a prolific source of litigation and 



42 

embarrassment. Doubts, which had thus been cast upon the 
tenure by which the lands were held, had necessarily tended to 
retard the growth and settlement of the towns. In the year 
last mentioned, John Tufton Mason, the heir of Capt. John 
Mason, the original grantee of the province, for the considera- 
tion of 1,500 pounds, sold and conveyed his title to Mark H. 
Wentworth, Theodore Atkinson, Johu Wentworth (son of Ben- 
ning Wentworth, then governor), and nine others, residents of 
Portsmouth. These twelve persons were afterward known as 
the " Masonian proprietors." The high standing of these gen- 
tlemen, their intimate relations to the royal government, and 
the uncertainty which at first prevailed in reference to their 
purposes, greatly excited and disturbed the public mind. These 
apprehensions, however, were soon dispelled. 

The course taken by the Masonian proprietors allayed all 
serious disquietude, and was at once liberal and enlightened. 
They proceeded immediately to release their claims to all towns 
previously granted by Massachusetts, east of the Merrimack, 
and a few years later quitclaimed all similar grants west of 
that river. 

The union of New Hampshire with Massachusetts, having 
been dissolved five years before (1741), their title to the unap- 
propriated lands was acknowledged, and of these lands grants 
were made upon just and reasonable terms. Thus was rapidly 
and fortunately settled the long and vexed controversy, and the 
title of the grantees to their grants, and the settlers to their 
homes, became finally and satisfactorily quieted. 

In May, 1751, the New Boston proprietors appointed a com- 
mittee, consisting of John Hill, Robert Boyce, and James Hal- 
sey, to confer with the Masonion proprietors in reference to 
their " claims if any they made to the township." In August 
of the same year, Col. Joseph Blanchard was appointed a com- 
mittee with power on the part of claimants. The two commit- 
tees met at Dunstable, at the residence of Col. Blanchard, and 
such proceedings were had and concluded, that afterward, and 
in December following (1751), the Masonian proprietors con- 
veyed to the proprietors of New Boston the original township, 
and in addition thereto, by the same conveyance, made a further 
grant of six square miles, being an oblong 1 tract four miles long 



43 



by one mile and a half wide, extending from north to south along 
the west bounds of the original township, and down to the Salem- 
Canada or Lyndeborough line. In the subsequent proceedings 
of the proprietors, this new grant was referred to as the " new 
addition," or " new additional land," and became known in the 
local history of the times as the " New Boston addition." From 
this addition, and a part of Society land, Francestown was 
erected and incorporated in 1772, thus reducing New Boston 
to its original boundaries. 

It was made one of the conditions of the original grant, that 
the town should be laid out "' into sixty-three equal shares, one 
of which to be for the first settled minister, one for the minis- 
try, and one for the schools." This would give to each share 
or lot about four hundred acres. Though, for greater con- 
venience, the Massachusetts grant was divided into lots of 150 
acres each, and the new addition into lots of 100 acres, the 
condition imposed and accepted was faithfully fulfilled, and 
the required quantity of land set apart and sacredly devoted to 
each of the objects specified. 

In this connection let it be remembered, once for all, that 
whenever and wherever the pioneers of New England went to 
open up the forests and cast in their lot, they carried with them, 
as the grand agencies in the work of settlement and civilization, 
the Christian church and the common school. These instru- 
mentalities lose none of their importance by change of condition 
or lapse of time. They are continuing and unalterable necessi- 
ties. And here and now, as the last sands of a century fall and 
disappear, and speaking for the first and doubtless for the last 
time to the people among whom we were reared and for whom 
affectionate memories have been retained, we pause to declare, 
as the result of our deepest convictions, that neither yourselves 
nor those who shall come after you have any sure promise for 
the life that now is, or the life which is to come, except as you 
and they shall value and cherish these twin institutions of grace 
and knowledge left by our fathers in solemn charge. 

THE SETTLEMENT. 

In meagre and imperfect notices of New Boston which we 
find in various gazetteers to which, access has been had, and 



44 



which are little more than mere copies of each other, and 
traceable doubtless to the same original source of information, 
it is said that the first settlement was begun about the year 
1733. The statement rests upon no sufficient authority. It is 
possible that some adventurer in quest of game, or for purposes 
of exploration, may have found his way here, and erected within 
the limits of the township a temporary cabin, as early, as the 
year indicated, but it is believed that no permanent settlement 
was begun until several years later. In 1741, New Hampshire 
was separated finally from Massachusetts, and became an inde- 
pendent province. Benning Wentworth was appointed gov- 
ernor, which office he continued to hold until 1767, when he 
was succeeded by his nephew John Wentworth. Upon the 
organization of the new government in 1741, the New Boston 
proprietors appointed a committee " to wait upon the govern- 
ment and acquaint them that we are the proprietors of the land 
by virtue of a grant from Massachusetts, that we are going on 
to settle the same, and have expended already, by way of pro- 
moting settlements and improvements, over two thousand 
pounds." From this general statement it would appear that at 
this date some " small beginnings" had been made, but these 
are believed to have been very inconsiderable. 

The enterprise was one of hardships and difficulty. The 
forest growths were dense and heavy, the surface broken and 
hilly, the soil rocky and stern. Surveys and allotments had 
to be made, roads opened, bridges thrown across the streams, 
and provisions and materials brought long distances by tedious 
stages over rough and unworked ways ; and notwithstanding 
the proprietors, besides direct donations of land and grants of 
special privileges, had expended, from time to time, very con- 
siderable sums of money in aid of general improvements, and 
with a view of securing an early settlement, for several years, 
the progress made seems to have been slow and doubtful. It 
was not until as late as 1750 that such substantial beginnings 
had been made as insured the complete success of the enter- 
prise. At this period the tide of Scotch-Irish mind and muscle 
from Londonderry began to set in, and from thence the growth 
of New Boston went steadily and rapidly forward, until the 
townNreached its maturity in 1820. The first census of the 



45 



settlement was taken under the authority of the proprietors in 
1756, and is the earliest reliable record to be found. Septem- 
ber 24, 1754, the proprietors met at the " Royal Exchange 
tavern in King street" (now State), Boston, "kept by Capt. 
Robert Stone," and appointed Col. John Hill and Robert Jen- 
kins a committee, with directions " to view the settlements 
at New Boston township, and make report of the same to the 
proprietors." 

In the summer of 1756, the committee visited the " settle- 
ments," and on the 11th of November of the same year, sub- 
mitted their repart to the proprietors at a meeting called " to 
receive the^eport of the committee who have been up to view 
the settlements in said town, and to dispose of such forfeited 
rights as the proprietors shall think proper." By this report it 
appears there were at the time of its date (Sept. 25, 1756), 
within the limits of the township, 59 persons, namely, 26 men, 
11 women, 9 boys, and 13 girls. There were 215 acres of land 
cleared, 82 houses completed, 6 frames not enclosed, 2 camp 
houses and one barn, one saw-mill, and " one grain-mill and 
dam complete." Two men had " gone to the war," one man 
was sick, one male child and two female children had been 
born in the town. The following, as well as we have been able 
to ascertain, are the names of the 26 men, and which are be- 
lieved to. be nearly or quite accurate. Thomas Smith, John 
Smith, Samuel Smith, James Ferson, John Blair, William 
Blair, Thomas Cochran, James Cochran, Abraham Cochran, 
Robert Cochran, Samuel Cochran, William McNeil, John Burns, 
Andrew Walker, Robert Walker, Isaac Walker, James Hunter, 
John McAlister, George Christie, Thomas Wilson, James Wil- 
son, James Caldwell, William Gray, Allen Moore, William 
Moore, and Robert Boyce. The Clarks, the McLaughlins, the 
McMillens, the Livingstons, the McCollums, the Greggs, the 
Kelsos, the Campbells, and the Dodges came soon after. 

Eleven years later (1767), by order of Governor Wen tworth, 
the selectmen of the various towns within his jurisdiction were 
required to make and return, during the year, a census of their 
respective towns. "The census made in pursuance of this author- 
ity was the first general and complete one taken of the province, 
and contains many curious and valuable statistics. The returns 



46 

for New Boston showed the following particulars : unmarried 
men, between the ages of 16 and 60, 25 ; married men, be- 
tween the same ages, 41 ; boys, 16 and under, 92 ; men, 60 
and above, 6; females, unmarried, 80 — married, 47; male 
slaves, 1 ; female slaves, 2 ; widows, 3 : total population, 296. 
Who 44 of these adult males were, may be seen by reference to 
the list of names appended to the call, presented to the Rev. 
Solomon Moor, August 25 of the same year. It is an inter- 
esting fact, that of the 41 male heads of families in town, nearly 
all must have united in the call. 

At this period (1767), there were thirty-one towns in the 
province represented in the house of representative* which con- 
sisted of thirty-one members, and held its sessions at Ports- 
mouth, the seat of the royal government. 

A third census was taken at the beginning of the Revolution 
in 1775. It was made after the retirement of the royal govern- 
ment, and under the direction of the provisional convention 
assembled at Exeter in the spring of that year. This census 
was also general, extending throughout the province, and was 
intended, in addition to securing a correct enumeration of the 
inhabitants, to obtain more accurate information with.reference 
to the temper and defensive resources of the towns. The result 
for this town was thus given : males under 16, 164 ; males, 
from 16 to 50, not in the army, 98 ; males over 50, 27 ; per- 
sons in the army, 20 ; females of all ages, 256 ; negroes and 
slaves for life, 4 : total population, 569. It is gratifying to find 
that New Boston was not behind her sister towns in effective 
aid to the patriot cause, having furnished, during the first weeks 
of the war, more than one-sixth of her male population, between 
the ages of 16 and 50, as recruits to the army. 

In 1790, the number of inhabitants in the town had increas- 
ed to 1,202 j in 1800 to 1,491 ; in 1810 it was 1,619, and in 
1820 it reached 1,686. At this period the town attained its 
greatest population, if not to its highest condition of prosperity. 
There were within its limits 16 school districts, 14 school- 
houses, 1 tavern, 3 stores, 25 saw-mills, 6 grain-mills, 2 cloth- 
ing-mills, 2 carding-mills, 1 bark-mill, and 2 tanneries. In the 
number of saw-mills, New Boston, at that time, exceeded any 
other town in the State. The river valley and the neighborhood 



47 



of the lesser streams abounded with pines of clear and lofty 
growth, and the lumbering business early became an important 
interest, and was largely and profitably prosecuted for many 
years. 

THE INCORPORATION. 

The town was incorporated by the government of New 
Hampshire February 18, 1763. By the charter, which bears 
the sign manual and additions of " Benning Wentworth, Esq., 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of New 
Hampshire," and "Attested," "Theodore Atkinson, Jun., 
Sec," " John Goffe, Esq.," was appointed and directed to call 
the first town meeting. The meeting was required to be held 
within twenty days after the date of the charter ; the time, 
place, and objects of the meeting to be specified in the notice. 
The charter contained the further provision that from and after 
the first election, " the annual meeting of said town for choice 
of officers and the management of its affairs, should be held 
within said town on the first Monday of March in each year." 
From that day to this, " March meeting " has remained one of 
the " institutions " of New Boston. In pursuance of the author- 
ity delegated, Col. Goffe proceeded at once to execute the duty 
assigned. The call specified as objects of the meeting : 1st. " To 
choose all their town officers for the year ensuing as the law 
directs. 2d. To see what money the town will raise to defray 
the charge of the town and pay for preaching to the inhabitants 
for the year ensuing." The meeting was held, in pursuance of 
the notice, March 10 (1763), at the house of Deacon Thomas 
Cochran, about a mile easterly of the present business centre of 
the town. Deacon Cochran was the great-grandfather of your 
worthy townsman, William C. Cochran, was one of the first set- 
tlers, and took a leading and useful part in the early affairs of 
the town and of the church. The ample homestead, which he 
founded and left, has continued in the possession of his de- 
scendants to the present time. 

The record of this first town meeting is as follows : — 

" Moderator, Thomas Cochran. 

" Voted, Alexander McCollum, Town Clerk. 



48 



" Voted, There shall be five selectmen : Thomas Cochran, James McFerson, 
Nathaniel Cochran, John McAllister, John Carson, Selectmen. 

" Voted, Thomas Wilson, Constable. 

" Voted, Matthew Caldwell, John Smith, James Wilson, George Christy; 
Thomas Brown, Surveyors of Highways. 

" Voted, Abraham Cochran, Samuel Nickles, Tithing Men. 

" Voted, William Gray, John Burns, Hog Reeves. 

" Voted, John Carson, James Hunter, Deer Keepers. 

" Voted, John Cochran, Invoice Man, or Commissioner of Assessments. 

" Voted, That a pound shall be built by the corn mill, and that Deacon 
Thomas Cochran shall be Pound Master. 

" Voted, Matthew Caldwell, James Wilson, Accountants to examine accounts 
of Selectmen. 

" Voted, To raise 100 pounds to defray charges for present year and for 
preaching." 

It will be seen that several of the offices filled at this election 
had become, in the new condition of the people, entirely use- 
less. The fact that these time-honored places of dignity were 
not suffered to remain vacant furnishes an amusing as well as 
forcible illustration of the power of ancient forms and old insti- 
tutions to which the minds of men have long been accustomed. 
The next year the number of selectmen was reduced to three, 
which has since remained unchanged. The two succeeding 
" March meetings " — those of 1764 and 1765 — 'were held at 
the house of John McLaughlin. That of 1766 was held in the 
" meeting-house." This occurred on the 3d of March, and was 
the first annual town meeting convened in that building, and 
indicates about the time of its completion. From this time for- 
ward, for a period of nearly three quarters of a century, the an- 
nual and business meetings of the town continued to be held 
within its walls, and until the venerable old edifice, hallowed 
by so many interesting and sacred associations, yielded at last 
to the innovations of time, and disappeared, from its place. 
Those who are curious to learn what became of the quaint old 
pile, and to know the ample timbers and honest materials, of 
which it was composed, will find the objects of their inquiries 
artfully disguised under the outward seeming of a modern town- 
house. 

In this connection it may not be uninteresting to know some- 
thing of" John Goffe, Esq.," the person who as already stated 



49 



appeared here in February, 1763, to aid in organizing the town. 
His life was an eventful one, and viewed at this distance pos- 
sesses much of romantic interest. He commenced life as a 
hunter, and located in Derryfield, at or near the junction of the 
Cohos brook with the Merrimack river. Later in life he remov- 
ed to Bedford, in whose soil his ashes now rest in honor. In 
favor with the Wentworths, he was early advanced to places of 
public trust. Of deep religious convictions, he was accustomed, 
for want of a licensed ministry, to lead assemblies of the people 
in public worship. In 174(3, he was sent in command of a com- 
pany of militia to the frontier, against the Indians. As lieutenant 
colonel commanding a detachment of the New Hampshire regi- 
ment, he was at Ticonderoga. At the opening of the campaign 
of 1757, and in August of the same year, he was present at the 
surrender of Fort William Henry to the French. Promoted to 
the rank of colonel, at the head of eight hundred men, he join- 
ed the campaign which resulted in the conquest of Canada, in 
1760. In 1767, he represented Amherst and Bedford in gen- 
eral court. In 1768, was made colonel of the old ninth regiment 
of New Hampshire militia. He was the first judge of probate 
of the county of Hillsborough, which office he held from 1771 
to 1776. Brave, genial, and capable, he was largely trusted and 
universally beloved. At the breaking out of the Revolution, he 
had become too infirm to take the field, but casting his martial 
mantle on his son, who wore it not unworthily, he gave his 
heart and his pen to the cause of his country. Long and hon- 
orably associated with the more prominent and stirring events 
in the early history of the towns bordering on our own, the 
addition of a passing word to the record of his fame was not 
deemed unbecoming the occasion. 

During the revolutionary period, if we may judge from the 
character of her representative men, New Boston was neither 
indifferent nor unfaithful to the cause of independence. In the 
first provincial congress, as it was called, which met at Exeter, 
in May, 1775, and over which Matthew Thornton presided, the 
town was represented by Thomas Wilson. The second con- 
gress, which met in December of the same year, resolved itself 
into two bodies, a council and house of representatives, the first 
council being chosen by and from the representative body, and 
~ ? 



50 



afterwards both branches were elected by the people. The 
government thus instituted continued during the war, and until 
superseded by the permanent government of New Hampshire, 
in 1784. The house consisted of eighty-nine members, of 
which the county of Hillsborough was entitled to seventeen. 
To this branch of the legislature, New Boston and Francestown 
united in sending one representative. In 1776, Capt. Benjamin 
Dodge, of New Boston, was chosen. In 1777 and 1778, Archi- 
bald McMillen, of New Boston. For the two following sessions, 
William Starrett, of Francestown. In 1780, James Caldwell, 
of New Boston. In a delegated convention which assembled at 
Concord, in September, 1779, to consider the state of the cur- 
rency, then an absorbing question, William Livingston sat as 
representative for the town. It is a matter for congratulation 
that, on this occasion of historic interest and review, New 
Boston may recall with just pride, and after the lapse of more 
than four-fifths of a century, the character of the men whom 
she honored and trusted in those years of public anxiety and 
peril. 

CHURCHES AND CHURCH EDIFICES. 

The Presbyterian church and society was the first and for a 
long period the only religious organization in town. This organ- 
ization is known to have been as early as 1768, and there can be 
little doubt it was formed some years earlier. The first settled 
minister was the Rev. Solomon Moor. Mr. Moor was born in 
Newtown, Limavady, Ireland, in 1736 ; graduated at the Univer- 
sity of Glasgow, 1758 ; was licensed to preach by the presbytery 
of Londonderry, Ireland, July 26, 1762 ; ordained a " min- 
ister at large " in 1766, and soon after sailed for America, and 
arrived at Halifax in October of the same year. Making but a 
brief stay at the latter place, he proceeded to Boston, where he 
delivered his first sermon in America, from the pulpit of the 
Rev. Mr. Moorhead. The following Sabbath he preached for 
the Rev. Mr. McGregore, at Londonderry West Parish, and in 
February, 1767, came to New Boston with letters of commen- 
dation from the Rev. William Davidson, pastor of the first 
church in Londonderry. Cordially and gratefully welcomed 
by the people, he at once commenced among them the work of 



51 



the ministry, and on the 25th of August following, received a 
unanimous call to become their pastor. Continuing his labors, 
he held the call under advisement nearly a year, and until July 
1, 1768,* when he gave in his acceptance, and the relation of 
pastor and people was solemnized by his public installation on 
the 6th of September following. 

The relation thus formed continued unbroken until his death, 
which occurred May 28, 1803, at the age of sixty-seven. His 
ministry proved a useful and acceptable one, and embraced a 
period of thirty-six years. In 1770, Mr. Moor was married to 
Ann Davidson, daughter of Rev. William Davidson, before 
mentioned. This estimable lady, whose memory is associated 
with whatever is grateful in social and Christian charities, found 
favor in the eyes of the people with whom she had come to cast 
in her responsible lot, and retained it to the close of life. She 
survived her husband many years, and widely and respectfully ' 
known to old and young as " Madam Moor," lingered among 
us until within the present generation, receiving from all who 
approached her the affectionate homage due to her station and 
virtues. As, at the end of a long summer day, the sun retires 
slowly and calmly to rest through the mild glories of evening, 
so, full of years of right living, closes the life of the aged good. 

At the time of Mr. Moor's settlement, he boarded in the fam- 
ily of Mr. Robert White, who lived on the crown of the hill a 
few rods northeasterly of where Abraham Wason now resides. 
In this connection the town records have this entry : — 

" August 15, 1768, Province of New Hampshire. 

" At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of New Boston : 
"Voted, Thomas Cochran, Moderator. 

" Voted, Robert White provide entertainment for ministers at the instalment 
of the Rev. Mr. Moor, and bring in his charge to the town." 

The earlier records of the corporate meetings of the town, 
both annual and special, abound in entries of kindred charac- 
ter, touching the affairs of the church, showing that for many 
years the business of the town and temporalities of the church 
were equally regarded as matters of the same general and com- 
mon concern. That there was anything improper in the union, 



52 



seems not to have been suggested. Those interested in the 
town were not less interested in the church. The supporters 
of the one included the supporters of the other, — woven to- 
gether in harmony, and apparently without seam, by those of 
one faith and mind, the two grew and expanded as associated 
interests, without rent or discord. In all this there was no 
offence to conscience, nor disregard of the voluntary principle, 
so long as there were none to be aggrieved, and all continued 
of the same mind. In the process of time, as other religious el- 
ements were introduced, and a sister church of different denom- 
inational faith came to be organized, the practice alluded to 
yielded to the changed relations of the people. In connection 
with the pulpit of the Presbyterian society,. it remains only to 
be added, that in May, 1805, Mr. Bradford, whose life has al- 
ready passed into history, commenced his public labors as a 
• candidate, and on the 26th of February, 1806, was ordained 
and installed as the successor of Mr. Moor. 

The Baptist church and society was organized in November, 
1799, and in 1804 took the name of " The Calvinistic Baptist 
Church in New Boston." Its first house of worship was erected 
in 1805, in the westerly part of the town, a distance of about 
three miles from the lower village, where its present church 
edifice is located. The first settled minister was the Rev. Isaiah 
Stone. He commenced his labors with the church in 1801, and 
on the 8th of January, 1806, was installed as its pastor. His 
installation, as will be seen, was the same year, and a few weeks 
earlier, than that of Mr. Bradford. He continued his pastoral 
relations until 1824, and was succeeded by your distinguished 
townsman, the Rev. John Atwood, afterwards and for many 
years honorably occupied with the duties of public life in the 
department of politics. 

It would seem to have been the intention of the proprietors 
of New Boston at an early period to build up a centre of trade 
and population on "the plains" in the northeasterly quarter 
of the township. The reasons which induced this contemplated 
enterprise are now only conjectural. Whatever they may have 
been, the plan of erecting a meeting-house and group of dwell- 
ings in that neighborhood was actually undertaken and partially 
executed as early as 1740. We find the subject of completing 



53 

the meeting-house specified as one of the objects of a meeting 
of the proprietors, called for the 15th of May, 1751, and after 
an interval of more than ten years. The uncompleted struc- 
ture, however, was never finished, or used as a place of wor- 
ship. It was soon found that a location so remote from the 
geographical centre of the town was unfavorable to the settle- 
ment of the whole grant, and the enterprise was abandoned. 
Of this attempted settlement little more is known. Whether 
the buildings, some sixty in number, were left to decay upon 
the spot where they were hastily thrown together, or were con- 
sumed by fire, or partially removed for use elsewhere, or what 
were the motives which originally prompted the undertaking, 
other than to save a possible forfeiture, by forcing a technical 
compliance with the three years' limitation of the grant, are 
questions to which no satisfactory answers can be made, and in 
reference to which no certain trace or reliable tradition remains. 

The first church edifice built in town, used as a place of pub- 
lic worship, was the one to which allusion has been made in a 
previous connection, and known, since the erection of the new 
structure in 1823, as the " old meeting-house." It stood on 
the northern slope of the hill, and overlooking the river valley, 
a few rods south and above the burying-ground. It was built 
by Ebenezer Beard, under contract with the proprietors, by 
whom the plans and specifications were furnished. It was 
begun as early as 1764, and completed in July or August, 1767, 
and about the time the call to Mr. Moor bears date. 

The commencement of the work was greatly delayed in con- 
sequence of difficulty or indecision with reference to the ques- 
tion of location. Becoming satisfied, from the report of the 
committee of visitation in 1756, that the " settlements " would 
prove a success, the proprietors proceeded immediately to ap- 
point a committee, with instructions " to fix on a place in or 
near the centre of the town, for the public worship of God ; 
and also for a public burying-place, as they shall think most 
suitable, for the whole community." 

The only record left to us of the action of this committee, is 
comprehended in the brief entry : " Fixed on lot 81." This 
lot embraced Buxton Hill, an eminence on the north side of the 
river, corresponding to that on the south, upon which the site 



54 



was aftewards located, and is supposed to have been the place 
selected. No action appears to have been taken on the report 
of this committee, if indeed any formal report was ever sub- 
mitted, and the question still remained an open one. In 1762, 
a more successful effort was made. The proprietors, for the 
convenience of the inhabitants, and in order to secure greater 
facilities for general consultation and interchange of views, held 
a meeting at the house of Thomas Cochran ; and, subsequently, 
at Dunstable, September 14, 1762, appointed a new committee, 
consisting of Matthew Patten, John Chamberlain, and Samuel 
Patten, with directions " to select a spot for a meeting-house, in 
the most convenient place, to build a meeting-house or place 
of public worship thereon, and report as soon as possible." At 
this meeting, Allen Moore, George Christy, John McAlister, 
James Hunter, Thomas Wilson, Thomas Cochran, and James 
Caldwell, residents of the town, are named as having been 
present, and participating in its proceedings. In July follow- 
ing (1763), the committee, having unanimously agreed upon a 
location, submitted their conclusions in writing, in which they 
state that " they had visited several places, and heard the rea- 
sonings of the proprietors and inhabitants of said town, and do 
report to the proprietors that the lot No. 79, in the second di- 
vision, and near the centre of the lot on the south side of the 
Piscataquog river, south of a red oak tree marked with the let- 
ter C, near the grave of a child buried there, is the most proper 
place or spot to build a meeting-house on in town, according to 
our judgment." 

The report was at once adopted, and the question of location 
settled accordingly ; and, in September, the same committee 
were further authorized to enter into contract, on behalf of the 
proprietors, with " some suitable person, for building the meet- 
ing-house already voted, as soon as may be." Thus, after re- 
peated delays and disappointments, more or less inseparable 
from all new beginnings, the settlers were now able to look for- 
ward to a speedy realization of what from the first they had 
steadily sought and devoutly wished, an appropriate house of 
public worship, and a settled ministry. 

That portion of the present graveyard, first used as a burial- 
ground, was set apart for that purpose about the date at which 



55 



the church site was fixed upon. The southerly bounds were 
run so as to include the new-made grave mentioned in the com- 
mittee's report, thus making it the first within the sacred in- 
closure. Whose was next, is not known or now ascertainable. 
The earliest inscription is that on the stone erected to the 
memory of the first town clerk, Mr. Alexander McCollum, and 
t)ears date in 1768. 

As connected with our own early history, and principally 
because it is our own, how interesting and suggestive is the 
allusion to that first little grave. The emotions excited are 
mingled with pleasurable sadness as well as awakened inquiry. 
Whence this child, its name, its age, its parentage, was not 
stated, and is not known. Its story and its remains rest in a 
common silence, to be revealed together at the last. Though 
the tenant be nameless, the tenement has a history which will 
be read with interest by generations coming after us. 

The " red oak marked with the letter C," as a monument 
of location, stood where the old south gate of the yard was 
situated, and the raised sod which was " near " points the spot, 
in the bosom of that ample slope, where now "heaves the 
earth in many a mouldering heap," first disturbed to sepulchre 
our dead. The site for the burial-place was well chosen ; com- 
manding a view of both villages, the river, and the prospect 
beyond, and capable of indefinite extension, it possesses rare 
natural advantages for the uses to which it has been conse- 
crated. Within our recollection, it has been much enlarged 
and improved, and with a growth of ornamental trees spread- 
ing their green drapery over the bare surface, and the naked 
marble, and bringing with them the melody of birds, and all 
the grateful and varied charms of the grove, it would become 
the most delightful, as it is now the most sacred, feature of 
the town. 

The early records of the township disclose an isolated in- 
stance relating to the legal modes formerly observed in making 
delivery of lands, which deserves mention. In 1756, certain 
lots were forfeited by the action of the proprietors, for failure 
on the part of purchasers, to fulfil the conditions of their sev- 
eral agreements. At a meeting of the proprietors, William 
McNeil and Thomas Cochran, Jr., of New Boston, and William 



56 

■Gibson, of Litchfield, were constituted a committee to make 
delivery, by " turf and twidge," of the forfeited lands, to 
Thomas Cochran, Sr., acting for the proprietors. This an- 
cient ceremony was actually gone through with, and has this 
explanation : In the transfer of real property under the feudal 
laws of Great Britain, investiture of title, or livery of seizen, 
as it was called, was made by the parties going upon the land, 
and the feoffer (grantor), delivering to the feoffee (grantee), 
" the ring of the door, or turf, or twig of the land," in the 
name of the whole. This mode of delivery has long since 
gone into disuse ; the simple delivery of the deed, or convey- 
ance, being all that is necessary in order to invest the title. 

In attemping within the limits imposed by the proprieties of 
the occasion, a historical sketch of the township, little more 
could be done than to present a mere outline of principal 
events, and afford here and there an occasional glance into its 
interior life. To me personally, the task, though undertaken 
with some disadvantages, has been a pleasant one, and I only 
regret that it has not been better and more thorougly per- 
formed. For the honor done me by the generous assignment 
of this duty, my warmest thanks are due, and these are given. 

The point of interest with us, as with you, has been the 
early settlers, the events they shaped, the ends at which they 
aimed, the obstacles overcome, and the results they accom- 
plished. To these fathers of the town, we owe a deep debt of 
gratitude, and it was fitting that we should recognize it, in this 
united and public manner. They were, indeed, men of no or- 
dinary rnoulcl ; men, in whom was united that relative measure 
of faith and works, of purpose and action, by which victories, 
whether of war or peace, are compelled. While profoundly 
acknowledging a superintending providence to which all hu- 
man instrumentalities were .subordinate, they recognized in the 
right and resolute use of their own powers, the appointed 
means for carrying forward the enterprises, and securing the 
purposes of life. With such, success depends upon no other 
conditions ; against such, no fancied lions hold the way ; with 
such, there can be no failure ; failure itself is victory. If such 
were our fathers, our mothers were not less equal to the de- 
mands of the situation. These, content with their rugged lot, 



57 



shared the cares and toils of their husbands, and, in the spirit 
of true female heroism, met and overcame the numberless 
privations and severities which pertained to life in the new 
settlements. Superior to every trial, and armed for any ex- 
tremes of fortune, they present in their lives, noble models for 
the imitation of American mothers. Like the virtuous woman 
of the sacred proverb, whose price is estimated above rubies, — 
They sought wool and flax, and worked willingly with their 
hands. 

They rose also while it was yet night, and gave meat to their 
households, and a portion to their maidens. 

They laid their hands to the spindle, and their hands held 
the distaff. 

They stretched out their hands to the * poor, and reached 
forth their hands to the needy. 

They were not afraid of the snow for their households, 
" knowing their households were clothed with the scarlet cloth 
of their weaving." 

They made fine linen and sold it. Strength and honor were 
their clothing. 

They opened their mouths with wisdom, and in their tongues 
was the law of kindness. 

They looked well to the ways of their households, and ate 
not the bread of idleness ; and their children, as we do this 
day, rose up and called them blessed. 

Said the settlers in their invitation to Mr. Moor, " From a 
very small, in a few years, we are increased to a considerable 
number, and the wilderness by God's kind influences, in many 
places amongst us, has become a beautiful field, affording us a 
comfortable maintenance." While this is the language of 
humble dependence, it is also the language of appropriate con- 
gratulation, of conscious success, and Christian self-reliance. 
In scarcely more than a quarter of a century from the time 
the first clearing was opened to the sun, individuals had united 
into families, and families into neighborhoods, and neighbor- 
hoods into a stable and flourishing community. The triumphs 
of associated industry and enterprise were visible on every 
hand, and their extent and achievement attested the qualities 
of the race from which the fathers and mothers of New Boston 



58 



sprung. Flocks grazed in abundant pastures, the orchard 
bloomed in its season, the red clover scented the summer air, 
fields of yellow grain nodded in the harvest winds, the wren, 
sweet bird of rural peace, from her perch by the farm-house, 
welcomed the dawn with joyous song ; and the robin, following 
the abodes of cultivated life, poured forth her evening carol to 
the setting sun. With these evidences of prosperity and con- 
tentment, came the " New England Sabbath," with its calm 
stillness, its faithful lessons, and sacred solemnities, proclaim- 
ing the presence of a devout colony, already rejoicing in the 
more precious institutions of a Christian civilization, and look- 
ing forward to a posterity to whom they might safely commit 
the keeping of their faith and their inheritance. 

Did time permit, it would be alike pleasant and instructive 
to enter upon a brief review of the scenes of toil and activity, 
as well as some of the more stirring events of local and public 
interest, which attended the growth and development of this 
people, but we may not trespass farther upon your generous 
forbearance. 

This centennial occasion, with its pleasures and duties, has- 
tens to a conclusion, and in a few brief hours, will be num- 
bered among the events of the past. Soon we shall again sep- 
arate, and in our allotted j)laces and various callings, resume 
the journey and burdens of life, and, while all which we shall 
accomplish in what remains of mortal activity will be less than 
a unit in the grand summary of events which shall complete 
the measure of the coming century, the transactions of to- 
day, it may be reasonably hoped, will live on and live after us. 
The history we indite as a tribute of gratitude to the past, we 
leave as an offering to the future. Though the gift be unpre- 
tending, it will be eagerly accepted, and gratefully cherished 
by every true son of the soil, whatever fortunes betide him, 
and wherever he may make his later home. 

Time, measured by the changes wrought upon us and ours, 
is remorseless and fleeting. Individuals die and are forgotten, 
and brevity and mutability are written upon all that is outward 
and personal in human life. On the world's broad stage, both 
the scenes and actors are constantly shifting, but upon the 
great drama the curtain never falls. What though, amid the 



59 



revolution of the centuries, generations come and go, and 
peace and war follow each other, in protracted alternation ; 
what though continents are now calm and now convulsed, and 
the armies of light and darkness seem to wage uncertain con- 
flict; what though storms assail the noblest fabrics of social 
wisdom, and at times comes " the winter of our discontent," 
in which the greenest leafage of our moral summer may fade 
and fall, — the race, with all its transcendent interests and 
hopes, untouched in its life and unity, shall remain firm in its 
destiny, and the cause of truth, working out a full and free 
civilization, will move steadily onward, however thrones may 
crumble and empires perish, until the nations of mankind, 
perfected through discipline and trial, shall pass at length into 
the tranquil glories of the promised millennium. 



GRANTEES AND GRANT 



Iii 1735, John Simpson, John Carnes, James Halsey, John Ty- 
ler, John Steel, Daniel Goffe, Charles Coffin, Ebenezer Bridge, 
Daniel Pecker, William Lee, Henry Howell, Job Lewis, Thomas 
Bulfinch, John Indicott, John Erving, James Day, Andrew Lane, 
Byfield Lyde, John Hill, John Spooner, John Read, Samuel 
Tyler, John Boydell, John Homans, John Williams, Jr., Joshua 
Henshaw, Jr., Benjamin Clark, Jacob Hurd, James Townsend, 
William Salter, Thomas Downs, Zachariah Johonnett, Daniel 
Loring, John Crocker, William Speakman, Thomas Greene, 
Gilbert Warner, John Larrabee, John Green, Rufus Greene, 
Thomas Foster, John Arbuthnott, James Goold, Joseph Green, 
Isaac Walker, Robert Jenkins, Benjamin Bagnald, Richard 
Checkley, John Mavericke, Joshua Thomas, and Thomas Han- 
cock, became petitioners " to the Great and General Court or 
Assembly of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New Eng- 
land, for a grant of six miles square for a township." 

On what they based their claim for such a grant, does not 
appear from any record before us, and the petition itself is not 
at hand, but it is probable that the grant of this town is con- 
nected with one of the most remarkable events in the history 
of New England. It will be remembered that in 1690 the 
Province of Massachusetts undertook an expedition, under the 
command of Sir William Phipps, in the conquest of Canada, for 
the purpose of securing the Colonies against the frequent in- 
cursions of the Indians, at the instigation of their French allies. 
That expedition proved painfully disastrous. The Treasury of 
Massachusetts becoming impoverished by this expedition, bills 
of credit to pay the soldiers, and to defray other expenses, were 
issued, which soon depreciated so far as to become nearly 
worthless, and the soldiers who had received them laid claims 



62 



for further remuneration. Hence, many petitions were pre- 
sented to the General Court of Massachusetts, of those " who 
were in the expedition to Canada in the yea?- 1690, and the de- 
scendents of such of them as are dead, praying for a Grant of 
Land for a township, in consideration of their ancestors' suffer- 
ings in the said expedition.'" And many grants of land were 
made, under the general name of " Canada," with the name of 
the town prefixed to which the grantees belonged, or such 
grants were located so as to be bounded in such a manner, as 
in some way to indicate then relation to that event. Thus the 
grant for New Boston was doubtless given to men in Boston 
who had suffered in that ill-fated expedition, or their descend- 
ants. 

On the petition of John Simpson and others, the following 
action was taken, as attested by Thaddeus Mason, Dept. Secre- 
tary : — 

At a Great and General Court or Assembly for his Majesty's Province, 
of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, began and held in Boston upon 
Wednesday, the 28th of May, 1735, and continued by several adjournments 
to Wednesday, the 19th of November following. 

In the House of Representatives, Dec. 3, 1735, in answer to the petition 
of John Simpson and others, — 

Voted, That the prayer of the Petition be granted, and that .... 
together with such as shall be joined by the Honorable Board, be a Commit- 
tee at the charge of the Petitioners to lay out a Township of the contents of 
six miles square, at the place petitioned for, or some other suitable place ; 
and that they return a platt thereof to this Court within twelve months for 
confirmation, and for the more effectual bringing forward the settlement of 
the said new Town. 

Ordered, That the said Town be laid out into sixty-three equal shares, one of 
which to be for the first settled minister, one for the ministry, and one for the 
schools, and that on each of the other sixty shares the petitioners do, within 
three years from the confirmation of the platt, have settled one good family, 
who shall have a house built on his house-lot of eighteen feet square, and 
seven feet stud, at the least, and finished ; that each right or grant have six 
acres of land brought to and ploughed, or brought to English grass, and fitted 
for mowing ; that they settle a learned and Orthodox minister, and build and 
finish a convenient Meeting House for the publick worship of God. And the 
said committee are hereby directed to take bond of each settler of forty 
Pounds for his faithful complying with and performing the conditions of set- 
tlement, and in case any of the said settlers fail of performing the aforesaid 
conditions, then his or their right, share, or interest in said Town, to revert to 



63 



and be at the disposition of the Province ; and that the said Committee be, 
and hereby are iinpowered to sue out the Bonds and recover the possession 
of the forfeited Lotts (if any be) at the expiration of the three years, and 
to grant them over to other persons that will comply with the conditions 
within one year next after the said grant ; and the Bonds to be made and 
given to the said Committee and their successors in the said Grant. 
Sent up for concurrence. 

J. QULNCY, Chairman. 

In Council, Jan. 14, 1735. 
Read and concurred. 

J. WILLARD, Secretary. 
Consented to. 

BELCHER. 
A true copy ; examined by 

THAD. MASON, Dept. Sec'y. 

In the House of Representatives, Jan. 16, 1735. 

Ordered, That Capt. William Collings, and Mr. Ebenezer Parker, with 

such as shall be joined by the Honourable Board, be a Committee to take a 

platt of the within Township, and effectual care the same be brought forward 

to all intents and purposes, agreeable to the conditions of the Grant. 

Sent up for concurrence. 

J. QULNCY, Speaker. 

In Council, Jan. 16, 1735. 
Read and concurred, and William Dudley, Esq., is joined in the affair. 

THAD. MASON, Dept. Sc'y. 

A true copv : examined bv 

THAD. MASON, Dept. Sec'y. 

Agreeably to these acts, the committee appointed Jeremiah 
Cummings surveyor, to lay out the township, with Zacheus 
Lovewell and James Cummings for chainmen. He performed 
the task, and submitted his report, accompanied by a rude 
map of the township, denoting its boundary lines, rivers, and 
Joe English or Eldost Hill. Here follows the report : — 

I, the subscriber, together with Zacheus Lovewell and James Cummings, 
have laid out, pursuant to the Grant of the General Court to Mr. John Simj> 
son and other Petitioners with him for a Township in the unappropriated 
Lands of the Province, of the contents of six miles square, with a thousand 
acres added for ponds that lye within the s d Township, and have bounded it 
thus : Beginning at a Beach tree, one of the Corners of the Narragansit town, 
No. 5, and in the north line of y e Narragansit, No. 3, from thence running 



64 



two degrees South of the west by y c s a Narragansit Town No. 3, four miles 
and three-quarters to the northeast corner of the s a Township, from thence 
the same course one mile and one hundred and twenty rods to a Burch tree 
marked, thence the line turns and runs North two degrees to the west by 
Province Land six miles and forty-two rods to a white pine tree marked, 
from thence the hue turns and Runs East two Degrees north by Province 
Lands six miles and forty-two Rods to a White Oak tree marked, from thence 
we run South two degrees east Partly by Province Lands and partly by the 
Narragansit town afore s a No. 5 to the beach tree the first mentioned bound, 
with two rods in each hundred added for uneavenness of Land and Swagg 
of Chain. 

Which said Lands Lye on the west side Merrimack river on the Branches 

of Piscataquog river. 

JEREMIAH CUMMINGS, Surveyor. 

February The 12th, 1735. 

Middlesex ss., Dunstable, Jan. 28th, 1735. 
Jeremiah Cummings as Surveyor, and Zacheus Lovewell and James 
Cummings as Chainmen, personally appearing before me y e Subscriber, one of 
his Majesty's Justices of the peace for the County of Mid 1 , made Oath that 
in Surveying and measuring a Township granted by the General Court to Mr. 
John Simpson and others, they would deal truly and faithfully in their Respec- 
tive trusts. 

ELEAZER TYNG. 

In the House of Representatives, March 19, 1735, this report 
was read, and it was, — 

Voted, That a platt containing six miles square of Land laid out by Jere- 
miah Cummings, Surveyor, and two Chainmen on Oath, to satisfy the Grant 
aforesaid, Lying adjoining to the Naragansit Towns No. three and No. 5, and 
on province Lands, with an allowance of one thousand acres of Land for 
ponds Lying within the said Platt was presented for allowance. Read and 
ordered that y e platt be allowed, and y e Land therein delineated and described 
be and hereby are Confirmed to the said John Simpson and the other Gran- 
tees mentioned in said petition passed y e last sitting of the Court, their Heirs 
and assigns, respectively, forever, provided the platt exceeds not the quantity 
of six miles square, and one thousand acres of Land, an allowance for Ponds 
within the Tract, and does not interfere with any other or former Grant, pro- 
vided also the Petitioners, their Heirs or assignes Comply with y e Conditions 
of the Grant. 

Sent up for concurrence. 

J. QULNCY, Speaker. 

In Council, March 20, 1 735. 
Read and concurred. 

SIMON FROST, Dept. Sec'y. 
Consented to. 

J. BELCHER. 



65 



By an additional act, Mr. John Simpson was " impowered 
to call the first meeting," and thus the way was clearly opened 
for the unembarrassed action of the Proprietors, and their first 
meeting was held at the house of Mr. Luke Vardy, in Boston, 
April 21, 1736, and among the first acts of that meeting was a 
vote instructing their committee, Daniel Pecker, Andrew Lane, 
John Hill, John Indicott, and James Halsey, " to build a saw- 
mill on some convenient stream, for the use of the proprietors 
in said township." 

It will be seen by the foregoing that New Boston was granted 
March 12, 1735, while all authorities affirm that it was granted 
January 14, 1736. The solution is this : — In the old style the 
year commenced March 25, and by calculating backward it will 
be found that March 12, 1735, in the old style, was March, 1736, 
in the new style, it being borne in mind that the new-style cal- 
endar was introduced into England in the year 1752. And 
thus the grant bears date March 12, 1735, old style ; it is also 
true, according to the new style, that it was granted Jan. 14, 
1736. 

In the report of the Surveyor, the name of Zacheus Lovewell 
appears as one of the chainmen. This was, we apprehend, the 
same Zacheus Lovewell who afterward commanded one of the 
New Hampshire regiments in the French and Indian war, and 
who, as colonel commanding, was at the taking of Ticonderoga 
and Crown Point, a son, as Belknap affirms, but a younger 
brother, as other authorities say, of the hero of Fryeburgh or 
Piquawket, Capt. John Lovewell, who fell in 1725. 

MASONIAN HEIRS AND NEW ADDITION. 

In 1620 the King of England, James I, constituted a Coun- 
cil, consisting of forty noblemen, knights, and gentlemen, by 
the name of " The Council established at Plymouth, in the 
county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, and governing of New 
England in America." The territory under their jurisdiction 
extended from the fortieth to the forty-eighth degree of north- 
ern latitude. This patent, or charter, was the foundation of 
all grants subsequently made of the country of New England. 
Great confusion prevailed in the transaction of the business of 



66 



this Council. Two of the most active members were Sir Ferdi- 
nando Gorges and Capt. John Mason. Gorges' had been an 
officer in the navy of Queen Elizabeth, and associated much 
with Sir Walter Raleigh, and partook of his adventurous spirit. 
Mason was a merchant of London, but became a sea-officer, and 
governor of Newfoundland. Mason, acquiring great influence 
in the Council, procured a grant of all the land from the river 
Naumkeag, now Salem, round Cape Ann, to the river Merri- 
mack, and up each of those rivers to the farthest head thereof, 
then to cross over from the head of the one to the head of the 
other. The next year another grant was made to Gorges and 
Mason jointly, of all the lands between the rivers Merrimack 
and Sagaclehock, extending back to the great lakes and river 
of Canada, which tract was called Laconia. And, in 1629, 
Capt. Mason procured a new patent for the land, " from the 
middle of Piscataqua River, and up the same to the farthest 
head thereof, and from thence northwestward until sixty miles 
from the mouth of the harbor were finished ; also through 
Merrimack River, to the farthest head thereof, and so forward 
up into the land westward, until sixty miles were finished ; and 
from thence to cross over land to the end of the sixty miles, ac- 
counted from Piscataqua River ; together with all islands with- 
in five leagues of the coast." This tract of land was called 
New Hampshire. At length, in 1635, Capt. John Mason died, 
and a great revolution transpired in England. The tract of 
land known as New Hampshire came under the protection and 
government of Massachusetts, and though claims to it were 
often preferred, and much litigation was had, these claims were 
resisted until John Tufton Mason, a great-grandson of Capt. 
John Mason, conveyed, in 1746, his interest to lands in New 
Hampshire, " for the sum of fifteen hundred pounds currency " 
to Theodore Atkinson, M. H. Wentworth, and thirteen others. 
This transaction occasioned great consternation among those 
who had settled within the limits of this Masonian grant, be- 
cause these men were in power, and it was seen that it would 
be hard to resist their claim. But these gentlemen took no 
unreasonable advantage of their position, but were governed by 
the most liberal principles. Accordingly, in 1751, after a com- 
mittee of the proprietors of New Boston had expressed to the 



67 

purchasers a desire to compromise the matter with them, the 
following are the records of the Proprietors : — 

Province of New Hampshire. 

At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Lands purchased of John Tufton 
Mason, Esq.. in New Hampshire, held at Portsmouth, on Monday, the tenth 
day of June, One Thousand Seven hundred and fifty-one. 

Whereas the said Proprietors have been informed that there is a Tract of 
Land, within the Claim of said Proprietors, called New Boston, and claimed 
by a Number of Gentlemen under the Government of the Massachusetts 
Bay ; and whereas it is suggested that those claimers are disposed to come to 
an Accommodation and Agreement with the said Proprietors, on such Terms 
as may be agreeable to both Parties ; 

Therefore, Voted that Joseph Blanchard, Esq., is hereby authorized and 
fully impowered to agree and Compound all Claims and Demands, Differ- 
ences, Disputes, and Controversies, whatsoever, made, being and subsisting 
between the said Proprietors and the Claimers of said Tract of Land under 
the said Government, as fully and amply to all Intents and Purposes as said 
Proprietors themselves could, or might do personally, and in case he shall see 
cause to grant and Convey the said Land or any Part thereof to any others, 
on such terms as he shall judge best for the Interest, of this Propriety. 

Copy of Record Examined 

By GEORGE JAFFREY, Propr Clerk. 

The foregoing action of the Masonian Heirs was in response 
to the action of the Proprietors of New Boston, May 15, 1751, 
when it was 

Voted, The Question be put whether this Propriety would choose a Com- 
mittee to make application to the Proprietors of Mason's claim to know upon 
what condition they will grant us their rights ; and that John Hill, Robert 
Boyers, Esq., and James Halsey, the standing Committee, be empowered to 
settle with them on the best Terms they can, if they think proper, and they 
be desired to offer this vote to each Proprietor for their approbation. 

This vote was approved, and the Committee held a confer- 
ence with Col. John Blanchard, which resulted in the following 
charter from the purchasers of Mason's claims to the Proprie- 
tors of New Boston, by which their former grant from the Mas- 
sachusetts Bay was confirmed, and no small part of what is now 
Francestown was added ; and this extension of their limits 
westward was ever afterward designated as the " New Addition," 
and continued a part of New Boston until the incorporation of 
Francestown, June 8, 1772. 



68 



Province of New Hampshire. 

Pursuant to the power and authority granted and vested in me by the pro- 
prietors of land purchased of John Tufton Mason, Esq., in the Province of 
New Hampshire, by their vote, passed at their meeting held at Portsmouth, in 
said Province, the tenth day of June, 1752. 

I do, by these presents, on the terms and conditions hereafter expressed, 
give and grant all the right, title, property, and possession of the proprietors 
aforesaid, unto Job Lewis, Henry Howel, John Steel, Thomas Bullfinch, Rob- 
ert Jenkins, John Spooner, Benjamin Bagnall, Samuel Tyley's heirs, James 
Townsend's heirs, Isaac Walker, Joseph Wright, Eleazer Boyd, Daniel Pecker, 
William Dudley's heirs, Robert Boyes, Thomas Smith, Thomas Cochran, Pat- 
rick Douglas, John Homans, James Day, James Caldwell, Gilbert Warner, 
Richard Checkley's heirs, James Wilson, Jonathan Clark, William Speak- 
man's heirs, Benjamin Clark's heirs, John Erwin, William White, John Hill, 
Esq., John Taylor, John McCallester, Edward Durant's heirs, William Bant, 
John Maverick, Rufus Green, James Halsey, Daniel Loring's heirs, Joseph 
Green, James Hunter, Thomas Wilson, of, in, and to that tract of land or 
township called New Boston, in the Province of New Hampshire aforesaid, of 
the contents of six miles broad and seven miles long, bounded thus : Begin- 
ning at a beech-tree the southeast corner, and from thence north by the needle, 
two degrees westward, six miles, or until it comes unto the northwest corner, 
formerly made under the Massachusetts grant, for the northeast corner of said 
tract, and from thence west by the needle two degrees to the southward, and 
from the first bounds mentioned, the southeast corner aforesaid, west by the 
needle two degrees southward, six miles, or until it meet with Salem Canada 
fine (so called), and turning and running north by the needle two degrees 
westward, two miles, or until it come to the most northeasterly corner of 
Salem Canada township as formerly laid out, then turning and running west 
as aforesaid, two degrees southerly so far, and extending the north line of the 
premises likewise westward, until a line parallel with the east line will include 
the contents of seven miles long and six miles broad, as aforesaid. To have 
and to hold, to them, their heirs and assigns forever, excepting as aforesaid, 
on the following terms, conditions, and limitations (that is to say) that as the 
greatest part of the tract aforesaid has heretofore been divided into sixty- 
three shares, now, therefore, that there be reserved for the grantors, their 
heirs and assigns forever, out of the lands already divided, nine shares or 
sixty-third parts, as followeth, viz. : The home lots number four, number 
twenty-five, numbers thirty-three, nine, twenty-eight, five, twenty-nine 
eighteen, and ten, with the several lots annexed to the same, as in the sched- 
ule hereafter ; also so much of the common land, or undivided, to be laid out 
in that part of the said tract, near the great meadows, as shall be equal to 
one-half part of a share, reserved as aforesaid, which half share is appropri- 
ated to Joseph Blanchard, Jr., with the same proportion of the common land, 
each in that part formerly within the bounds called New Boston, exclusive and 
excepting five hundred acres hereby granted and appropriated to the grantees, 



69 



to be by them disposed of for encouragement for building and supporting 
mills in said township ; also reserving unto the grantors, their heirs and as- 
signs, after the five hundred acres aforesaid is laid out and completed in the 
common, one-fourth part for quantity and quality of the lands by this grant 
added within the bounds of that called New Boston, as formerly laid out ; 
the said grantors' parts to be divided, lotted, and coupled together, and drawn 
for with the grantees, according to the number of shares as before reserved, 
so as for the grantors to have one full quarter-part as aforesaid ; said work to 
be finished within twelve months from this date, at the charge of the grantees 
only. Also, that the grantors' right in three of the shares laid out, as afore- 
said, be and hereby is granted and appropropiated, free of all charge, one for 
the first settled minister, one for the ministry, and one for the school there 
forever, as they are set down in the schedule hereafter. 

That the aforesaid reservations for the grantors, and as well for Joseph 
Blanchard, Jr., be free from all duties, charges, taxes, or expenses whatsoever, 
until improved by the owner or owners, or some holding under them. 

That all the lots in said township be subject to have all necessary roads or 
highways laid through them as there shall be necessary occasion for, free from 
all charge of purchasing the same. 

That the grantees, on their parts, make forty-five settlements in said town- 
ship, in the following manner, viz. : Each to have a house built of one room, 
at least of sixteen feet square, fitted and finished for comfoi-table dwelling in, 
and three acres cleared, inclosed, and fitted for mowing and tillage, on each 
of the forty-five shares, at or before the first day of August, 1754, and within 
one year afterwards, a family or some person inhabiting there on each settle- 
ment, and to continue residency there for three years then next, and within 
that term to fit four acres more each for mowing or tillage, as aforesaid. 

That the grantees build a meeting-house there, in four years from this date. 

That the grantees, at their own expense, make the settlement aforesaid, and 
within six months from this date ascertain the particular grantees whom they 
shall determine to make settlement and inhabit there, as aforesaid, and certify 
the same under their clerk's hand in the grantors' clerk's office ; and in case 
any of the grantees be delinquent, who shall be enjoined the settlement as 
aforesaid, on any part of duty enjoined by this grant, on such share hereafter 
ascertained, the whole share or right of such delinquent shall be and hereby 
is granted to such of the grantees who shall comply on their parts ; provided 
they fulfil such delinquent's duty in two years after each period next coming 
that such duty should have been done ; and on their neglect, then all such 
delinquent's right or shares to revert to the grantors, their heirs and assigns, 
free and clear from all future charges thereon. 

That the grantees hold, under the conditions herein, the several lots of up- 
land and meadow already laid out in said township, as set forth in the sched- 
ule annexed, and the future divisions to be ascertained by and according to 
the Massachusetts grant to them or their vendors. 

That one home lot (so called), viz., number sixty, be set and relinquished 
unto John and Jonathan Simpson's assignee, Joseph Wright; always provided, 



70 



and on this condition only, that he build, clear, inclose, and settle a family on 
said lot, according to the periods and several articles of duty enjoined and 
specified for one of the forty-five rights aforesaid ; and this settlement to be 
over and above the said forty-five ; and in case of failure or neglect of any 
part of the said duty, the said lot number sixty to revert to the grantees and 
grantors in common, to be apportioned with the other common lands ; also, 
provided the said Wright, or his assigns, pay the proportionable part of charge 
for that lot, in carrying forward the settlement. 

That the grantees, or their assigns, at any public meeting called for that 
purpose by a majority of votes of the interest present, grant and assess such 
further sum or sums of money as they shall think necessary for completing 
and carrying forward the settlement aforesaid, from time to time, and all other 
necessary charges, until the same shall be incorporated. And any of the 
grantees who shall refuse and neglect making payment of their respective 
sums and taxes for the space of three months next after such tax or assess- 
ment shall be granted and made, that then so much of said delinquent's right, 
respectively, shall and may be sold, as will pay the tax or taxes, and all 
charges arising thereon, by a committee to be appointed by the grantees for 
that purpose. 

That all white pine trees fit for masting His Majesty's royal navy, growing 
on said tract of land, be and hereby are granted to His Majesty, his heirs and 
successors, forever ; and, as a further condition of this grant, that the grantees 
herein mentioned, within three months from the date hereof, signify their 
consent and acceptance, as well as their fulfilment and conformity to the 
whole of the conditions herein specified, by countersigning these premises 
with their hands and seals, and, on failure thereof, to receive no benefit by the 
aforewritten grant ; always provided there be no Indian war within any of 
the terms and limitations aforesaid, for doing the duty conditioned in this 
grant ; and in case that should happen, the same time to be allowed for the 
respective duties, matters, and things as aforesaid, after such impediment shall 
be removed. 

To all which premises, Joseph Blanchard, agent for and in behalf of the 
said grantors, on the one part, and the grantees on the other part, have here- 
unto interchangeably set their hands and seals, this twenty-fourth day of 
December, 1752. 

Signed and sealed. 

JOSEPH BLANCHARD, in behalf of grantors, 
. . . and grantees. 

This charter was accompanied by a " schedule of the Lotts 
as they now stand granted ; the Home lotts were laid out for 
fifty acres of the best Land and qualified for poor Land with a 
larger Quantity ; the second Division contained two lotts for 
each share of one hundred and fifty-three acres each — as re- 
turned by Robert Boyes, Esq., authorized by the grantees for 
that purpose." 



71 



The addition to the old limits of New Boston began at the 
northwest corner of present limits, and ran parallel with the 
northern line, west about two miles and a half, thence nearly 
south, parallel with the west line of present limits about three 
miles and a half, and thence by Lyndeborough, to the west line 
of present limits, near Mr. William Parker's farm, making a 
parallelogram two and a half miles from east to west, and 
three and a half miles from north to south. In the southwest 
corner of this tract was located a farm for the grantors, con- 
taining four hundred acres ; in the southeast corner was another 
lot laid out for the grantors, " of four hundred and thirty acres, 
with allowance for what part of the Haunted Pond it takes in ; " 
and in the centre Col. Joseph Blanchard's farm was located, 
containing three hundred acres. The remaining portion was 
divided into fifty-one lots. This division was made in " 1753, 
by order of Eobert Boyes, Esq., Comitee, for Matthew Patten, 
Serveyor." The dimensions as given above may seem too large 
for the " New Addition," but they correspond to the plan re- 
ferred to above. 



WARREN R. COCHRANE. 



Mr. Cochrane is the son of Hon. Robert B. Cochrane, born 
August 25, 1835. He fitted for college chiefly atFrancestown, 
under Sylvapus Hayward, now pastor of the Congregational 
Church in Dumbarton ; and graduated from Dartmouth in the 
class of 1859. Mr. Cochrane was appointed tutor in Dart- 
mouth College in 1861, and subsequently elected for another 
year, but was compelled to relinquish his relation to the col- 
lege on account of ill health, which at present, requires free- 
dom from severe mental application. His many friends sadly 
deplore his physical indisposition to enter some field of Chris- 
tian activity, for which he is so well fitted, both by discipline 
of intellect and grace of heart. 

Mr. Cochrane consented, with great reluctance, to deliver a 
poem on the occasion of the Centennial ; but the plaudits of 
the assembly assured him of their high appreciation of it, and 
the reader will find no less pleasure in its perusal. 

10 



P E M 



Who does not feel as year by year departs, 
As one by one our loved companions fall, 

That stronger sympathies should bind our hearts, 
And larger fields our memories recall ? 

Who has not felt that age to age should bear 
Its friendly gifts, its pledges of regard, 

Wrought in the forms of eloquence and prayer, 
Traced in the lyrics of the humble bard ? 

Who has not felt that the historic pen 

Had grown too partial to the suns of fame, 

As though kings could be something more than men ; 
And humble souls be left without a name ? 

Have not the humblest minds, the wisest sages, 

A like ambition to be linked at last 
With all of fame that lights the future ages, 

And all of glory that adorns the past ? 

Do we not come to-day with some such feeling, 
Such hope of blessing, and of being blessed, 

Here at the altar-place together kneeling, 
The gray old century our only guest ? 



The war-horse is worn when the battle is won, 
The limbs are weak when the race is run ; 
And every power of arm or mind 
By man directed or man designed 
Is wasted in a single day, — 
Begins, develops, and dies away, 



76 



As philosophical people say. 
Then can it be strange that a muse like mine, 
A stranger to the original time, • 

Unwinged by genius, unfixed by wine, 
And miinvoked in a single line, 
Somewhat weary and weak appears 
In a backward flight of a hundred years ? 
Can it be thought that the jaded thing 
"Would then be able to charm or sing 
Without a draft from the nectared spring, — 
Some needed rest from a flight so far, 
Where the homes of its lost companions are ; 
In the crumbling halls of the dreamy past 
Where the joyous shout, or the trumpet-blast, 
Where the songs "of peace or the cannon's roar 
Are heard no more — are heard no more ? 

Then let us pause — since pause we will — 

In the rough old church on the top of the hill, 

And standing where our fathers trod, 

Offer, like them, our prayer to God, — 

Our praise to God that we, to-day, 

Have a house of prayer and a heart to pray, — 

Our praise, that He who ever hears 

Has blest our fathers' prayers and tears 

Through the changing scenes of a hundred years ! 

Next let us honor them who came, 

To feed devotion's holy flame, 

To hear God's voice, and learn his will, 

In the rough old church on the top of the hill. 

Hard by the spot where they sung and prayed, 

One by one have their graves been made, 

And their names like those of every age, 

Are fading away on memory's page. 

But their deeds are written in larger lines, 

In the towering elms, and the mossy shrines ; 

In the fruitful fields and the " meadows gay," 

On the hills where the flocks of their children stray, 

In the laws they established and we obey ; 



77 

And the sires are seen in the sons to-day ! 

'Tis a heritage rich to be owned as heirs 

Of sires like them and lives like theirs ; 

And a sacred duty here to-day, — 

And year by year till we pass away, — 

To name, to love, to honor those 

Whose prayers in God's first temples rose ; 

Whose strength these grassy slopes have cleared, 

Whose hands these ancient piles have reared, 

Whose places are remembered still 

In the rough old church on the top of the hill. 

The men we praise were godly men, 

Who lived in Christian honor then, 

With humble heart and poor array, 

Walking the strait and narrow way, 

Content if God his grace bestowed, 

And hope illumed the stormy road. 

No shallow pride inspired their breast, 

No summer dream, no earthly rest ; 

But, earnest, thoughtful, much in prayer, 

They toiled as faith directed where. 

Faith was to them a living power, 

No tinsel robes to them were known ; 
They plucked the fruit, and not the flower, 

They lived for heaven — and heaven alone. 
Each Sabbath morn the preacher's call, 
Was heard and answered by them all, 
With simple garb, and manners grave, 
As if each had a soul to save. 
And oh ! if we could come like them, — 

With none to scoff, evade, condemn, 

All eager to the house of prayer, 

All earnest in devotion there, 

How quickly would the prospect stir, 

Each dull and thoughtless worshipper ! 

How gladly would we linger still, 

In the rough old church on the top of the hill ! 

And a quaint and a queer old church was that, 



78 



Where the gray-haired sires of our fathers sat ; 

With its framework strong, and its fashion old, 

It was cushionless, carpetless, clean and cold ; 

While carelessly hung the huge sounding-board, 

That, when the preacher whispered, roared ; 

And when he roared, it thundered so, 

It shook the very walls below ! 

Assisted thus, he could not lose, 

His hearers in those huge old pews, 

In which a regiment might snoose, 

Or Eoman holiday be kept, 

When Eome was all the world, — except 

The ashes that in Sparta slept. 

The men we praise were men of nerve : 
They would not bend, or yield, or swerve 
From duty's narrow path to gain 
The applauses of the weak and vain. » 
Theirs was a higher, larger plan, — 
To honor God, to ennoble man ; 
And mark their lives, whoever would, 
This double aim was understood. 
They were a bold and fearless race ; 
They bearded danger to the face, 
Thirst, hunger, cold, and beasts of prey, 
And savage men more fierce than they, 
And war's grim garments rolled in blood, 
The fire, the famine, and the flood : 
Still to their God and country true, 
They bore the fiery banner through. 
In every rise and every fall, 
They owned alike the great and small, 
Cared for their own and then for all. 
First to the few, to whom we owe 
Our highest duty here below, 
Then to the world was freely given, 
But first and last and all to Heaven. 
And so in fortune's smile or frown. 
In rural haunt or crowded town, 



79 



Whatc'cr we think or ieel or do, 

Still is it best, and still 'tis true, 

Our noblest work, where'er we roam, 

Begins, like charity, at home. 

'Tis true that theirs were humble lives, 

Secluded homes and godly wives ; 

Yet humblest, happiest, sterling pleasure 

Is not gay and gilded treasure ; 

'Tis a spirit deep and holy, 

Dwelling with the meek and lowly ; 

'Tis a calm and quiet feeling, 

Duty-bought, and love revealing ; 

'Tis a blessed flame that glows 

In hearts like theirs and homes like those 

Where wants are few, where creeds embrace 

The Bible and the altar place ; 

And human hearts have never found 

Serener peace or holier ground. 

Nor fail we ever to repeat, 

Religion and retirement sweet, 

In loving life-long league allied, — 

With her whom both have sanctified, 

Make all of home that home endears, 

And all of earthly hope that cheers, 

Or human life except its tears. 

The gravelled walk all shaded o'er, 

The chiselled step, the gilded door, 

The stately hall, the cushioned chair, 

And flowers nursed in foreign air, 

And gay and festive music there, 

Where fortune smiles, and fashion brings 

Her host of unremembered things, 

From Afric's sand, or ocean's foam — 

This is not home, this is not home ! 

But the willing hand and the ready art, 

A smile when we meet and a tear when we part, 

From an angel's eye, but a woman's heart, — 

Tbat soul winch stands in human form 



80 



'Mid the chills of life's winter serene and warm, 

Like an island of peace in an ocean of storm, 

Cheering the way when our prospects die, 

When the lightnings flash in the darkened sky, 

Or peacefully, quietly, earnest to share 

In the daily toil and the evening prayer ; — 

Kindness and charity, cheerful and free 

As the soul of a Christian should ever be ; 

Haste to forgive, and a heart to endure 

The failings which tenderness cannot cure, 

Or the fault of a friend, though neglected and poor : — 

Joy in receiving what mercy bestowed, 

Patience in bearing the heaviest load, 

Though dark be the prospect, though thorny the road, 

Though faded each dream that a transport gave, 

When hope wreathed her flowers round our path to the grave 

This, — in luxury's gilded dome, 

Or the poor man's cottage — this is home ! 

Such homes as this were dotted o'er 

These stately hills of yellow prime ; 
And added to each humble store 
Was the open heart and the open door, 

In the days of the olden time. 

I'm afraid we cling to each little dime 
Of the much which God is giving us now, 
With a fiercer grasp, though its worth be small, 
Than they who opened the way to it all ; — 

And I long, like the traveller of wintry brow 

After sixty years, as he comes to climb . 
These hills where his feet were wont to tread 
With the hopes that are blighted, the friends that are dead, 
For the cordial welcome that met him of yore, 
For the open heart and the open door 

Of the days of the olden time ! 

The men we praise were men of toil ; 

They chose, they cleared, they tilled the soil ; 

And on each spot, thus tilled and cleared, 



81 



A rough, rude, humble cot was reared, 
Nestling the towering hills between, 
Hid under leafy folds of green, 
Near nature's heart at rest, as though 
The hand parental left it so, 
As if in slumber soft and low. 
From these our stately homes have grown, 
Homes that we boast to call our own — 
Fields, orchards, houses, — all that please 
The lovers of taste, or the lovers of ease. 
Labor then was lord in the land ; 
The sun-burned brow and the toil-worn hand 
Were the freeman's boast and the lover's pride ; 
The poor man's comfort and hope and guide 
Were the strength that was full, and the arm that was tried. 
And even the women, though women of wealth, 
For the sake of beauty and vigor and health, 
For the sake of those who in sadness or mirth 
Bear the dearest names that are spoken on earth, — 
By choice or necessity — no matter which — 
Taking the distaff, or taking the stitch, 
Spinning all day by the open door, 
Weaving the very clothes they wore, 
Riding the horse through the field of corn 
In the jocund hours of the early morn, 
Driving at twilight the waiting cows, 
With the arms full loaded with hemlock boughs 
To be traced in a broom ere the coming day 
From its eastern chambers should dance away ; 
Were always working at useful things, 
As though time had value, as well as wings ; 
Bright, vigorous, fair, and strong, 
It is not strange that their lives were long. 
But oh ! how changed is the modern taste ! — 
To work in the field is to be disgraced ; — 
Distaff, spinning-wheel, and loom, 
Sweeping with a hemlock broom, — 
Or any at all, — is an awful doom ! 
11 



82 



Healthy life in the open air, 

Roaming free as the breezes there, 

Health-stamped lips by nature minted, 

Tinted cheeks — by nature tinted — 

Suit not ladies' taste, they say, — 

Will not serve the world to-day ; 

Paint supplies an easier way ! 

Fashion now bears absolute sway ; 

First ambition, hope and dream . 

Now is not to be, but seem; 

Dress becomes the chiefest art, 

Fills the head and fills the heart ; — 

At home, at church, in every station, 

'Tis the theme of conversation. 

Thus many a modern belle, I know, 

Lives for nothing at all but show, 

Twenty, thirty years, or so, 

Half-alive in heated rooms, 

Carbon acids and perfumes ; 

Dragging life's journey wearily through, 

Time hangs heavy on idle hands, — 

Always longing for something new ; 

Being happy with nothing to do 

Is " out of the ring," as the matter stands ; 

And the pale, weak daughter of fashion and ease. 

Who presides in the parlor as nice as you please, - 

Who ponders over some love-sick book, 

While her mother remains in the kitchen to cook, 

Whose jewelled hands are as softly white 

As the dancing foam, or the starry light ; 

All spiritless, passionless, colorless, frail 

As the trembling leaf in the maddened gale, — 

She is not what her mothers were, 

And they are mysteries to her ! 

But much to be pitied as she may be, — 

And more to be pitied I think is he 

Who plods the life-journey with such as she, — 

Yet she merits not pity or scorn like him 

Who bears the name that his sires have borne 



83 



With the fire at the altar-place grown dim, 

And the name of its honors shorn. 
I pity the son of illustrious sires, 

Too weak, too degraded to bear their proud name, 
In whom the last spark of their genius expires 

In the foul breath of luxury, riot, and shame. 
And while this cannot be spoken of us, 

I know there is need of unwearying care ; 
We are all in the way to be ruined thus, 

And some of us doubtless, are almost there, 
And if these hills may justly plead 

Some freedom from the common curse, 
'Tis of the sires and not the seed, — 

Tfieir honor that we are not worse. 
Howe'er the unwelcome prospect dims 

Throughout the land each patriot eye, 
Its youth are wild with modern whims — 

They ask not either whence or why, 
But follow, like shadows, each dreamer that shine, 
And, shadow-like, grow as their leader declines. 
They linger at theatres, billiards, and chess, 
Take pride in soft hands and extravagant dress, 
Instead of the manly toil which bore 
The laurel and palm in the days of yore. 
Too proud to work on their native ground, 
They must fathom the ocean of sight and sound ; 
Teach, speculate, peddle, roam, — 
Anything rather than work at home ! 
And so they are gone to the shop or store, 
They are digging after the golden ore, 
They have got into office, and live at ease, 
They are spreading sails in the distant seas, 
They are editing papers, or telling lies, 
In the shape of lawyers, or doctors wise ; 
They are making candy and cordials and pills, 
Equally good for a thousand ills ; 
Pectoral, sarsaparilla, and schnaps, 
Bitters, and ointment, — and money perhaps, — 
Anything paying well fits like a charm, — 



84 



Anything rather than work on a farm ! 

They, too, bow down at the fashion shrine. 

In their father's earnings dress and shine ; 

They play politician and lover and sage, 

They flirt, sentimentalize, swagger, and rage ; — 

Equal adorers of Bacchus and Mars, 

They indulge in choice brandies and puff good cigars, 

Enveloped in smoke, like a war-ship at bay, 

While their gloved fingers brush the white ashes away ! 

And so Avhile the money comes free when they say, 

Each stripling smoker walks forth with delight ; 
He is surely a pillar of cloud by day, 

And a pillar of fire by night. 
He is large, important, conceited, and bold ; 
Though boyish in years, he is learned and old ; 
Is charmed to real frenzy while cutting a dash, 
With scented ringlets and trim moustache, 
With rings and other observable trash, 
And runs upon credit when he can't upon cash ! 
The homely virtues, the simple truth 
Which reigned in the bosom of age and youth 
In the peerless days of our fathers' prime 
Are now, they tell us, behind the time. 
And the young man tickled with jewels of gold, 
Makes his morals fit to the popular mould ; 
While with accents smacking of foreign clime, 
And an eye that whispers of secret crime, 
He swells along with a sickening pride, 
Like a Neptune girt in his foamy tide ! 
He adores the menagerie, circus, and race, 
Thinks less of his fate than he does of his face ; 
Visits each popular place of resort, 
Learns the pet words of flattery, joke, and retort, 
Worships fast horses, and talks quite well 
In the nauseous slang of the drinking cell, 
Or the oath-burdened dialect spoken in hell ! 

Oh ! give me the rough, worn palm of the man 
Who dares to do with his might what he can, 



85 

Who shuns fast ways and unprincipled friends, 

And stands like a rock where the current descends! 

Who strives to live by the good old rules 

In a day of do-nothings and jockeys and fools ; 

Who honors the home where his childhood was passed, 

And clings to the dear old spot to the last! 

Some turn from their homes as necessity calls them, 

With a tear in the eye that looks back as it goes ; 
And some with real rapture as time disenthralls them 
' Prom the bonds which paternal affection bestows. 
With a smile for the one and a sigh for the other, 

We bless them, though feeling alone and bereft, 
Not doubting that each will come back as a brother, 

And years will make dearer the homes they have left. 
And we would not detract from the praise that is due them 

As the tear-drop again fills the eye that returns 
Where the few that are cherished in memory knew them, 

And the altar of friendship still faithfully burns ! 
While I honor the man who comes back with his laurel 

All blooming and fresh on the time-wrinkled brow, 
From the scenes of debate or of national quarrel, 

To blend with his kindred who follow the plough, 
I cherish, I love the true hero who lingers 

Life-long at the tomb where his fathers lie ; 
While the time-god is writing with skeleton fingers 

Each scene on the heart as it fades from the eye. 
I love the ambition which hovers the nighest 

To the fount whence our earliest pleasures flow, 
Whose flight, like the lark's is the surest and highest, 

While its home is unseen in the valley below ! 

Labor then being lord in the land, 
Everything had to be done by hand — 
Weaving, knitting, sewing-machines, 
Planting, reaping, mowing-machines, 
The engine steaming o'er land and sea 
Were among the dreams of the things to be. 
Or perhaps they saw as the patriot sees 
That luxury thrives on things like these ; 



86 



That idleness, indolence, pomp, and ease 

Are the fruits that follow beyond control 

As sure as the leaven will Work through the whole, 

Or the needle point to its chosen pole, 

While the gathered harvest in every clime 

Is traced in blood from the morn of time. 

Even church-going then was a work to be done ; 

Eoads there were few and vehicles none ; — 

Five or six miles over paths like those 

Where the wild beast roams or the hunter goes, 

Barefoot all, with shoes in store, 

Put on ere they entered the sacred door ; 

Sermons full two hours long, 

The full proportion of sacred song ; 

Prayers that asked at a single birth 

For all of heaven and all of earth ; — 

Home by the light of the setting sun, — 

Church-going then was a work to be done. 

But now if we ride in our dainty sleigh 

Some two or three miles on the Sabbath day ; 

If a little heat or cold we bear, 

If clothes out of fashion we sometimes wear ; 

If we sleep like a pulseless thing of art 

While a half-hour sermon is read to the heart, 

We think we are meriting sovereign grace, 

And running with patience the Christian race ! 

Women made bare the head like men, 

As they entered the " holy of holies " then, — 

I would such an era might come again ; — 

But not if the things which are yet to be, 

Follow fashion's late decree, 

And the delicate gear be ingeniously spread 

Some feet in the rear of the wearer's head. 

How oft have we pitied some spirited miss 

Who thought she must wear what other folks wore, 
As she dragged through the wind such a streamer as this, 

While her head was as bare as they made it of yore ! 
'Tis amazing, what a wonderful size 

These objects of woman's affection attain ; 



87 



What wonderful figures for curious eyes, — 

Airy, feathery, flowery, vain ; — 
So that not a meeting-house in the land 

Would hold all the bonnets as now arranged, 
Were the frail, silky monsters untouched by the hand, 
And the thing with the nicest precision planned, — 

And hence the old custom is properly changed. 
Besides, 'twere the greatest of crimes I know, 

To have our ornaments out of view, 
So that pride have nothing at all to show, 

And fancy nothing to do ! 
The men we praise were men of fun, 

Fat, laughter-loving, hale, and strong, 
They loved the angle and the gun, 

The story and the song. 
In toil or danger, good or ill, 
Jocose, facetious, happy still, 
With humble recompense content, 
Rejoicing on their way they went. 
Priest, layman, all agreed to take 
"A little wine for the stomach's sake," 
And a little more for the sake of that ; — 
Some hours " ayont the twal " they sat, 
And " pouzle " and cider went freely down 
In the early days of the good old town ! 
And often now is the story told, 
How the glass went round to the young and old, 
And the social circles of every craft 
Grew merry over a stronger draught. 
I>ut though some tares have flourished with the wheat, 

Gathered and garnered through each varied year ; 
Though pride and fashion, folly and deceit 

Each grown to huge dimensions now appear ; 
Though simple manners, unpretending dress, 

The healthful habits and the humble fare 
Of those whose memory to-day we bless, 

If lingering yet, are unobserved and rare ; 
Contrasted still, the present and the past, 

Some nobler traits continue to arise ; 



And while each age seems better than the last, 

Fame's proudest meed and learning's richest prize, 
Truth's greatest victories, and freedom's too, 

And forms of government of old unknown, — 
Science and art to God and nature true, 

Brighten all ages, and adorn our own ! 
For the shade of America's latest light, — 

The era to which we are bidding adieu, — 
Is better than cycles of Aztec might, 
Or a thousand years of Peru ! 
Chains that bound the mind are broken, 
Words that chafed the tyrant spoken, 
Bright examples wake and nerve us, 
Powers of nature come and serve us. 
Full of knowledge and full of skill, 
Man moves on in his dignity still, 
Ruling the elements at his will ; 
Floating far up 'mid the silvery clouds, 
O'er the moon's white pillow and vapory shrouds ; 
Bidding the waters turn the wheel 
Which moves o'er their bosom the iron keel ; 
Reading the news in his cushioned car, 
Flying away like a flying star, 
Leaving a trail of steam-cloud there, 
Like a comet's tail in the midnight air ! 
Oftentimes as the setting sun 
Views some deed of glory done, 
Something new in the busy world, 
Freighted ship on the breakers hurled, 
Rise or fall in the price of gold, , 

Tide of battle backward rolled ; 
Popular vote in a distant State, 
Awful accident, trying fate ; 
Proclamation in every corps, 
Call for a hundred thousand more, 
The man of traffic in every grade, 
Turning away from the haunts of trade, 
To the rural home where his idols are, 
Jumps from his seat in the flying car, 



89 



Whispers a word to the magic-wire — 
Victory, glory, murder, fire ! 
Something lost in the hurried way, 
Business plans for the coming day ; 
Laughs to himself while the lightning goes 
Telling the news like a thing that knows ! 
Dashes back to his vacant chair, 
Just in season, nothing to spare, 
On they go, darting o'er valley and stream, 
Like the living forms of a summer dream ! 

Thus are we now ; the hunting-grounds 

The rocks and rivers, woods and mounds, 

Are changed and changing. Save some spot 

Where rude tradition says they fought, 

Save some few names which cling to-day, 

To hills and falls, to creek and bay, 

A hundred years have wiped away 

Each vestige of that kingly race 

Whose tragic aim and end embrace, 

In blazing home and bloody vow, 

All that is written of them now ; 

Whose children, step by step, are pressed, 

Weak, weary, wasted, to the west. 

Here 'mid these hills, thus gorgeously arrayed 

By patient toil and unremitted care, 
The forest waved with its unbroken shade, 

The dark-eyed maiden tossed her jetty hair, 
The hunter roamed in unoffended pride, 

The arrow whistled through the quiet air, 
The wigwam nestled by the river side, 

The smoke curled heavenward through the narrow 
glade, 

The trees grew, flourished, withered, and decayed ; 
And so the red man's children grew and died, 
Brave, noble, free, untaught and undismayed! 

But climb with me to-day yon towering height 

Which first is tinted with the morning light, 
12 



90 



Or nearer still where Moor's devoted mind 
From life-long labors left the world behind ; 
Or yonder hill where Bradford's classic eye 
Drank the charmed loveliness of earth and sky, 
And oh ! what change on every side appears 
Wrought in this period of a hundred years ! 
See the broad fields in summer verdure dressed, 
The happy flocks within the shade at rest ; 
The neat, white cottages along the hills ; 
The grassy meadows and the busy mills ; 
The laughter-loving brook and singing bird ; 
The loud steam-whistle in the distance heard, 
The modest school-house hi each valley seen, 
With happy children sporting on the green ; 
The church, our country's shield, preserver, friend, 
Where Christian people in devotion bend, 
Its sweet-toned bell whose distant-echoing tongue 
Rolls where the war-whoop of the savage rung ; 
The northern peaks in cloudy robe unrent, 
Southward the scene in distant azure blent ; 
The setting sun of other climes a guest, 
In golden glory deck the shining west, 
While lingering rays in tender sweetness play 
Round the green summits as they fade away, — 
And sweetest, tenderest, longest, it is said, 
O'er the white chambers of our sainted dead ! 
And oh ! when autumn drapes in harvest hues 
This scene of loveliness which fancy views, 
And art divine its blended colors weaves, 
Like rainbows dropped upon the blushing leaves, 
How sweetly changed is every field of green, — 
June gray and chastened in September seen, 
Mild summer lingering in the autumn breath, 
With all of beauty that is sweet in death ! 

And is it strange that the old Indian sires, 

Loving the beautiful much as we, 
Had here their counsels and their altar-fires, 

Back in the ages when they wandered free ? 
Can it be true that such a clime of beauty, 



91 



Scenes which outshine the eloquence of art, 
Have reared no martyrs of reform or duty, 
No names that thrill the universal heart ? 

Shall it be said that no poetic fires, 
No light of genius ever sparkled here, 

Where all that pleases, elevates, inspires, 

Fills the charmed eye and trembles on the ear 



No — never thus. Though not in golden lines 
Our names are written, or our glory shines ; 
Though on each field where many a patriot bled, 
It was not ours to lead but to be led ; 
Though from these hills no star of science rose, 
Shone o'er the world and unabated glows. 
Still where yon shrine each sacred trust inurns, 
Where, unmolested, dust to dust returns, 
Where noble hearts have conquered inward wrong, 
Where tears of tenderness fall fast and long, 
Where hope repeats her undissembled prayer, — 
There are our princes and our heroes there ! 
Pilgrims and warriors may not come to tread 
With reverent feet above each narrow bed, 
Nor pride and wealth their dainty watches keep 
Where the " rude fathers of our hamlet " sleep ; 
But human laurels never did nor could 
Fix the soul's nature as its highest good ; 
Fame's coveted rewards are gained too late 
To make us eloquent or make us great ; 
Though what we do may shine in common eyes, 
'Tis what we are that makes us truly wise. 

We know but little of our greatest men, 
Knights of the sword and masters of the pen : 
Uncalled by fate, to milder calls they bow, 
Perhaps, like Burns, to follow at the plough. 
Nor worthy less, though in that silent land 
Where all untitled, unexalted stand, 
No towering monument or gilded bust 
Pays its false honors to the nameless dust. 



92 



So, white we see by memory's clouded sun 
The words and deeds of each departed one, 
No human eye can look within the veil, 
See where they really stand, or where they fail ; 
See the true eloquence whose smothered fire 
Awoke not human praise, or human ire, — 
The humble Pitt, the unaspiring Pope 
Whose ashes sleep in yonder grassy slope ! 
But while the past its inspiration stirs, 
While trembling age to joyous youth recurs, 
While noble deeds revive the sinking breast, — 
By hope deserted, or by grief depressed, — 
Oh ! may we think what heroes suffered thus, 
What happy homes have been prepared for us, 
What sacred rights by noble sires we gain, — 
Ours to enjoy and ours to maintain ! 
Fired by the past, let every soul prepare 
For noble principles to do or dare, — 
True, like our sires where'er the conflict be, 
As justly glorious, and as nobly free ! 
Let patient Hope her triumph ne'er resign, 
Let constant Faith through constant virtue shine, 
And sacred Truth her saving power impart 
To every sentiment and every heart ! 



So if dark be oar path through the waves we are 
tossed on, 

Or honor and peace the reward of our care, 
We never may blush for the hills of New Boston, 

Or the homes of our kindred that wait for us there ! 
And so if our pilot should ever be lost on 

The fathomless ocean of grief and despair, 
Cur hearts will turn back to the hills of New Boston, 

And the homes of our kindred that wait for us there ! 
And oh ! when Death scatters his chill and his frost on 

The brow of each son who was nurtured in prayer, 
May our friends bear us back to the hills of New 
Boston 

And the graves of our kindred that wait for us there ! 



JOSIAH W. FAIRFIELD, ESQ. 



He was the son of John Fairfield, Esq., born August, 1803 ; 
fitted for college at Andover Academy, Mass., and graduated 
from Dartmouth College in 1825. He taught an academy at 
Chesterfield parts of two years, having for his pupil the late 
Governor Haile. In 1827 he went to Hudson, N. Y., and be- 
came principal of the academy in that city, which position he 
retained five years, studying law meantime with the celebrated 
Elisha Williams, and began to practice in 1832. Mr. Fairfield 
has been largely interested in railroad enterprises, holding im- 
portant positions in them, while the cause of education has 
always found in him a friend, and all righteous reforms a cor- 
dial advocate. He was a member of the last General Assembly 
(N. S.), and is largely known as a philanthropic, Christian 
gentleman. 

April, 1829, Esquire Fairfield married Laura, the second 
daughter of Hon. Asa Britton, of Chesterfield, N. H., by whom 
he has two sons living. The eldest, George B., is with his 
father, and William B. is a lawyer at St. Charles, Iowa. Both 
sons are married. Mr. Fairfield buried a daughter in 1852, 
and, February, 1864, he was called to part with his wife. She 
was an estimable, Christian lady, and died full of faith, hope, 
and joy. After giving many precious directions, she bade each 
of her friends " good-by," then folded her hands across her 
breast, and said, " Now I am ready, all ready," and expired im- 
mediately. The end of a devout Christian is peace. 




J.HBuF ford's Litti, 



<^^<-^^<^^\ 



BESPONSE OF JOSIAH ¥. EAIBEIELD, ESQ. 



New Boston. — Pleasant traditions and memories are cherished by absent sons and 
daughters. 

Mr. President : — 

No man can relate his recollections and pleasant memories 
of any place or people, without speaking more or less of him- 
self. He is, as iEneas says of his history, necessarily a part of 
what he recites. This constant reference to one's self becomes 
insufferable egotism, unless the hearers perceive the necessity, 
and throw a broad mantle of charity over the sinning speaker. 

That mantle is required on this occasion, and the speaker 
only hopes it will be long and broad enough to cover a multi- 
tude of sins. 

We all know that the early settlers of this country Avere a 
peculiar people, and none were more so than the Scotch immi- 
grants who found their homes in this town and county. They 
were Presbyterians of the original Covenanters type, but greatly 
modified and improved by two transplantings, first from Scot- 
land to Ireland, and then to the forests of the New World. 
There is no race more tenacious of their original elements of 
character than the Scotch ; and, through all their persecutions, 
changes, removals, and improvements, they retained their rec- 
ollection of wrongs, and cherished their likes and dislikes, as 
an inheritance never to be broken or alienated. 

The Puritan was one of their dislikes. Our Presbyterians, 
on arriving at their new homes, found themselves surrounded 
by the Puritans, a people equally as fond of liberty, and rigid 
in their notions as themselves ; still they disliked them, and 
there was a rank jealousy between them. The Independents, 
under Cromwell, had crushed the fond hopes of supremacy 
which the Presbyterians had nearly attained in England, and i.t 



96 



was a work of time to reestablish a feeling of trust and confi- 
dence. This jealousy manifested itself early in the settlement 
of this town. The earliest tradition that I remember of this 
people, had relation to this. The Scotch would at first suffer 
no intermarrying with the Puritans ; and, if their daughters 
were as fair and beautiful then as when I first knew them, no 
wonder that the Puritan young men felt themselves shut out 
of Paradise. Be that as it may, the tradition is, that it was no 
uncommon thing for the Scotchman to find at his door a rag- 
ged pedler, mounted on some miserable nag, with saddle-bags, 
filled with potatoes on one side and a huge jug of buttermilk in 
the other, and crying his wares, with affected blarney, " Butter- 
milk and peraties ! buttermilk and peraties ! Paddy, will you 
buy ? " If the pedler got off with an unbroken head, of course 
he was a lucky fellow, and continued his insulting raid. This 
was retaliated, of course, and the Puritan would be called up 
at all hours in the night, and called out at all hours in the day, 
by a sorry pedler, crying through his nose, in true Roundhead 
style, " Pumpkins and molasses ! pumpkins and molasses ! 
Barebones, will you buy ? " Hence, the names of " Paddy " 
and " Pumpkin " became common in their mutual salutations. 
But these animosities soon died out, and the Puritan settlers 
became Presbyterians, and the Presbyterian made pumpkin-pies. 
The Rev. Mr. Moor, or " Priest Moor," as he was called, be- 
came the pastor of this people, and a genuine, noble man he 
was, if we may judge by the reverence and affection with which 
his name was mentioned long after his death, and during my 
boyhood. Many anecdotes of his faithfulness and impartiality 
were current among the people, within my recollection. I will 
relate but one. Priest Moor was afflicted — as we think most 
pastors of those days must have been, when sermons were two 
hours long — by the increasing disposition of his hearers to nod 
during his preaching. He bore it heroically till he saw one or 
more of his elders falling into the same sin. He could endure 
it no longer, and, calling up the elder, he remonstrated with 
him, but without success ; then he rebuked him sharply, and 
the elder retorted by telling Mr. Moor to look after his own 
family. This greatly disturbed the good man. The minister's 
pew then, as now, was the worst pew in the church, and gen- 



v>: 



erally was under the side of the high pulpit, out of sight of the 
preacher. On the Sabbath following- this retort of the elder, 
the priest discovered some one nodding, and immediately 
thought of the elder's retort, and his family ; so, stepping down 
to the broad stair of his pulpit, he looked over the railing, and 
discovered Mrs. Moor " fast asleep." " Nanny Moor, Nanny 
Moor," he cried ; but she heard not. He repeated the call, 
and, some one nudging her, she waked, and looked up at the 
indignant face of her husband, while he called out, " Nanny 
Moor, what did I marry you for ? Tell me that. Was it for 
your riches ? Na ! na ! Was it for your beauty ? Na ! na ! 
Was it for your vartue ? Yes ! yes ! an' fath, it seems that you 
have but very little of that ! " * This was hardly sincere on 
the part of the Dominie, as Mrs. Moor was reputed to be a 
beautiful woman in her day, and he knew it. 

But it is time to come to my own personal recollections of 
the people of this town. I think of them as a people exhibit- 
ing many of the peculiarities of their origin and religion ; a 
people such as~I have never seen elsewhere. No other rural 
population that I have ever become acquainted with has so im- 
pressed my mind as a model population, worthy of all imitation. 
The old and middle-aged men of my earliest recollection were 
a grand old race ; grand in their physical proportions, grand 
in their religion and moral habits ; grand in their harmony 
with each other ; and grand in their free, open, generous hos- 
pitality. I can see, in my vision, two generations of men, 
measuring in height from five feet ten inches to six feet four 
inches, and with strong, robust frames in proportion. There 
were giants in those days. In one family, where I labored one 
season of my youth, was the grand old patriarch of ninety 
years, standing six feet four inches in height, and gathering 
around him on festive occasions, four sons of nearly equal size, 
and two daughters fit to be queens among women. If I could 
breathe among the dry bones of yonder sacred cemetery, and 
call up before you the men and women that I am thinking of, — 

* The reader will observe that this is given as a tradition, current in the 
writer's youth ; and it may have had its origin in a much earlier day, and a 
remote region ; yet it serves to picture to us " the priest and the people " at 
this period. — Editor. 
13 



98 

the Clarks, the Crombies, the Cochrans, the Campbells, the 
Dodges, Moors, McNeils, Pattersons, Warrens, and many more, 
their equals, and, to crown all, that prince of pastors, Rev. Mr. 
Bradford, standing in the midst of his people, — I am sure that 
this assemblage would bow in admiration, and, as one man, ad- 
mit that such a shepherd and such a flock could nowhere else 
be found on this continent. I have said that they were grand 
in their religion, and in their moral and social intercourse. In 
the days I speak of, nearly the whole adult population belonged 
to the church, and nearly every child was baptized. The divis- 
ions of later years had not then broken their solid ranks. In 
their solemn assemblies, in their social gatherings, in their pub- 
lic and festive turnouts, they acted together, always with dig- 
nity and sobriety. Yet they were never bigoted or intolerant. 
If they had any idol, it was Mr. Bradford, their minister ; and 
no man ever deserved the love and homage of his people more 
than he. Everybody, young and old, loved him ; and he loved 
everybody, old and young. With such admiration, and such a 
people, there seemed no difficulty that could not be healed, and 
no division that could not be closed. They acted together with 
the same dignity in their public affairs. There seemed no am- 
bition for office, — no electioneering for distinction. Modest 
merit was ever most likely to be exalted. I remember the first 
town-meeting that we boys were permitted to attend, probably 
in March, of 1812 or 1813. The people assembled on that oc- 
casion in the old church, and took their pews as orderly and 
quietly as upon the Sabbath. Mr. Bradford went into the pul- 
pit, and opened the meeting with "prayer. The selectmen took 
the deacons' seat, and called the meeting to business. A mod- 
erator was first to be elected, and some one came to our pew, 
and whispered to my father. He immediately rose up, and said, 
"Boys, we must go out." We followed him out, with sad 
hearts, shut out from seeing what we came to see, and we knew 
not why. We begged for a reason, and he told us that the whis- 
perer had informed him that he was the republican candidate 
for moderator, and must retire. In due time he was informed 
of his election, when we returned to the church, and saw the 
same thing repeated in every balloting of the day. We may 
smile at the simplicity and modesty of such a people ; we may 
boast of the wondrous progress we have made in advance of 



99 

that simplicity ; we may have seen the descendants of that people, 
electioneering and voting for themselves ; but let us remember 
that our boasted progress has culminated in the harvest of cor- 
ruption, treason, and rebellion, which the nation is now reaping. 

The patriarchs of the town were peace-makers ; litigation 
was scarcely known among them ; a resort to legal tribunals 
was a violation of public opinion ; no lawyer ever resided here, 
and had one attempted it, he would have starved, if he had 
leaned on the law for his bread. Lawyers grew fat in all the 
neighboring towns, but this was the abode of peace, not of liti- 
gation. I remember that, in later years, one uneasy, unlucky 
wight, after resisting all offers of compromise, prosecuted his 
neighbor, in due form of law, and so great was the excitement, 
that almost the entire population turned out as defendants. 
The poor plaintiff was crushed under the pressure of numbers, 
and the verdict of the community was, " served him right ! " 
There were, undoubedly, troubles, disputes, and trespasses 
among neighbors ; and there were, I presume, the usual local 
magistrates in the town, but I never saw nor heard of a justice 
court, or a jury trial, until after I had grown to manhood, and 
had removed to other scenes. Conciliation was first aimed at, 
and, if that failed, then arbitration or compromise, or the friend- 
ly offices of neighbors, uniformly succeeded in healing the 
worst feuds and most troublesome animosities. 

It might be supposed that a population, such as I have de- 
scribed, would repress with a strong hand the natural and or- 
dinary love of social mirth, frolic, and amusement. The dispo- 
sition to taboo the joyous and mirthful exhibitions of our na- 
tures, I suspect, belonged more to the Puritan than to the Scotch 
character. Be that as it may, I know there was no restraint 
among this people against any enjoyment, pleasure, or amuse- 
ment, which innocence might sanction, or virtue approve. We 
had our dances, and such dances ! none of your new, patent, 
improved cotillions, quadrilles, and waltzes ; but jigs, and long- 
reels, and short reels, and square reels, and Hie Betty Martin ! 
and then we had our sleigh-rides, apple-parings, corn-huskings, 
and all manner of sports, such as were approved and partici- 
pated in by "the old folks at home." Our mothers always 
knew that " we were out." We were at home by ten o'clock, 
sound, hearty, and happy. There is no young life so innocent, 

LofC. 



100 

so full of joy, no pleasures so full of vigor and benefit, as the 
life and pleasures of the young people of a moral and religious 
farming community. Cultivate and refine us as much as you 
will, — give us the overflowing cup of the gay, fashionable world 
to the fill, — still, when we grow old, and look back for a time 
of unalloyed enjoyment, those only find it who have luxuriated 
in the untainted social life of the sons and daughters of such a 
laboring population. The dissipated ballroom, the drinking 
and gambling saloons, and all kindred resorts for pleasure, leave 
a sting in the memory that neither time nor eternity can heal. 
The old folks, too, were not without their social enjoyments. 
They had their tea-parties and dinner-parties, their winter 
evening sociables, with the fruit and wine of their orchards, 
and the nuts of their forests. The men, especially the younger 
men, as the custom was, had their social assemblies and so- 
cial drinks, and sometimes, though rarely, there were com- 
plaints of excess and disorder. But, to the praise of our 
fathers it may be said, that they loved and maintained order 
and sobriety. It was a deep disgrace to be suspected of intem- 
perance. There was not in the town, what we now call a rum- 
hole, or gambling-shop. I remember but two men who were 
called drunkards, and never saw but one of those. All gam- 
bling was prohibited by the sternest repression, and many now 
recollect how thoroughly the one suspected rendezvous was 
cleansed out by the wise strategy of the town officers. All 
licentiousness was pursued with deep disgrace, and was scarcely 
heard of. Judge Lynch once held his court here, and an 
offending citizen, convicted on sight, was put upon a rail, and 
carried outside the limits of the town, and warned never to re- 
turn, under a penalty which he dared not incur. But the 
crowning evidence in favor of our fathers, was the fact that 
real poverty was scarcely known in the town. There might 
have been one or two helpless invalids supported as paupers, 
but it was the pride of every neighborhood to feed, clothe, and 
comfort their own poor. How many precious memories cluster 
around those ministering angels, our mothers and sisters, as we 
see them, in our backward vision, visiting the sick, comforting 
the afflicted, supplying the wants of the poor, and giving to the 
widow and orphan the blessed assurance of being preserved 
from the deep mortification of becoming town paupers. How 



101 



rich the legacy of these recollections ! How proud may we be 
to-day of such a legacy ! 

But the happiest memories, and most delightful associations, 
are those suggested by the occasion. We, who have wandered 
from our native soil, and spent more or less of our lives among 
strangers, have come home to celebrate the one hundredth 
birthday of our venerable homestead. We come, not like the 
prodigal, because we have been starving on husks, nor because 
we have squandered our patrimony in riotous living, but be- 
cause our fathers and our brethren have invited us to come, 
and because the dear recollections of our old home, of the dear 
companions of our childhood and youth, of the many happy 
hours, days, and years we have spent here, all combined, have 
drawn us with cords, laying hold of our hearts, and whose 
strength neither time nor distance has weakened. And we are 
met, on our return, not by the older brothers, grumbling and 
begrudging the fatted calf, but are welcomed by them to a 
feast of fat things. We rejoice together with you ; we gather up 
the precious memories of the past and hallow them ; we call 
up the many and manly virtues of our fathers, and pay to them 
the tribute of our most hearty admiration. From the depths 
of our hearts spring up the bright pictures of the departed dead, 
whom we seem to hear say to us, " Children, do ye abide in 
the principles and virtues of your fathers ? " What is our 
answer ? Standing here, the representatives of that race ; stand- 
ing here over their graves ; standing here upon the birthday 
of the town, and the birthday of our nation, what do we say ? 
Are we their legitimate children, or do we belie our origin ? 
Shall our fathers, looking down upon the scenes of this noble 
life, disown us, and our mother cast us off? No! no! A 
thousand times, no ! We are not bastards ! We come here 
to-day to testify our love for our home and our ancestors. If 
we have erred and strayed, we have come back to confess our 
wanderings ; if we have neglected or forgotten their counsels, 
we will now recall and adopt them into our lives ; if we have 
dishonored their graves, we will rebuild their sepulchres ; if we 
have forsaken their God, we will destroy our idols, and come 
back to the altar where they worshipped. We lift up a stand- 
ard here to-day, and pledge our loyalty to our fathers, to our 
country, and our God. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



In the grant of the town by the " Great and General Court," 
of Massachusetts Bay, it is provided that the proprietors, with- 
in three years from the date of the grant, " shall settle a Learned 
and Orthodox minister, and build and finish a convenient meet- 
mg-house for the public worship of God. And for the encour- 
agement of some godly man to settle in the township, they 
further provide that one sixty-third part of the township shall 
be given him in his right at his settlement, and another sixty- 
third part shall be set apart in perpetuity towards his annual 
support." 

Agreeably to these provisions, a meeting-house was erected 
by the proprietors, in the northeast part of the town, around 
which clustered sixty dwelling-houses, each eighteen feet square, 
together with a saw and grain mill. The proprietors agreed, 
March 30, 1738 (old style), with "Joseph Fitch, of Bedford, 
millwright, and Zachariah Emery, of Acton, husbandman, and 
Samuel Fellows, of Chelmsford, housewright, all in the county 
of Middlesex," " to erect a Meeting-House of the following di- 
mensions, viz. : Forty-five feet long, and thirty-five feet wide, 
and twenty-two feet between the cell (sill) and plate, to frame 
a Tower or steple at one end thereof, ten foot square, and forty 
foot high," and to finish the house " in a good, workmanlike 
manner, on or before the fifteenth day of November, which will 
be the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty ; " 
for which they agree to pay " four hundred and nine pounds, in 
Bills of Credit of the old tennor." The proprietors, in a peti- 
tion to the general court of Massachusetts Bay, on " the last 
Wednesday of May, 1740," say that they " have erected a 
house for the public worship of God, sixty dwelling-houses, a 
saw-mill, cleared woods, and been at other charges, in the whole 
amounting to upwards of three thousand pounds." Yet, it 



104 



would appear that the meeting-house was never finished inside, 
the contractors failing to fulfil their engagement ; nor is it cer- 
tain that meetings for the worship of God were ever held in it. 
It seems pretty evident that soon after the erection and comple- 
tion of the exterior of the house, it was consumed by fire, 
together with many of the dwelling-houses in its vicinity. 
There is a tradition that the fire was set by Indians, then in the 
region ; but it is most reasonable to conclude that, during the 
summer of 1740, the fire was accidentally conveyed to it by 
clearing the lands in the neighborhood. But its history is in- 
volved in mystery ; there is no record relating to it, beyond the 
fact of its erection and partial completion ; and ,a like mystery 
shrouds the fate of a village of some sixty houses. And why 
this spot should be selected for a village and a meeting-house, 
being near the line of Goffstown, does not clearly appear. A 
meeting-house here would not accommodate the town, and this, 
it is presumed, the proprietors discovered, and the house was 
never rebuilt, and nothing was done respecting another for ten 
or twelve years. Yet it is believed that occasional preaching- 
was enjoyed during this period, and the inhabitants occasionally 
returned to the towns whence they had come to partake of the 
sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The settlers expressed a 
strong desire for public worship in the latter part of 1757 ; but 
the proprietors informed them that " Preaching could not begin 
until May, 1758," and the settlers were desired " to aid in the 
salary." The number of inhabitants in town, September 25, 
1756, was only fifty-nine ; twenty-six men, eleven women, nine 
boys, and thirteen girls. November 11, 1756, at a meeting in 
Boston, the proprietors " voted John Hill, Esq., James Halsey, 
and Robert Jenkins be a committee to fix on a proper place, in 
or near the centre of the town, for the public worship of God, 
and also for a public Burying-Place, as they shall think most 
suitable for the whole community; (fixed on Lot No. 81.") 
Lot No. 81, it is thought, must have included a part of " Bux- 
ton Hill," and that on the western part of that hill it was pro- 
posed to erect the second meeting-house. But this location did 
not satisfy the settlers ; for November 28, 1758, Thomas Cochran 
is authorized " to convene the settlers, and select a proper place 
near the centre of the town (old limits) for a house of worship 



105 



and burying-ground ; (supposed to be about Lot 79.") But 
there was not the desired unanimity among the settlers, and, 
August 30, 31, 1759, a committee of the proprietors held a 
conference at Chelmsford, with Messrs. Cochran, McAllister, 
Ferson, Walker, and Carson, respecting "raising money to pay 
for past preaching and the erection of a meeting-house, but no 
decisive action was taken. During the summer of 1760, the 
Rev. Mr. Burbeen preached several Sabbaths ; also the Rev. 
Mr. Brown, for whose services compensation was made by the 
proprietors. April 20, 1762, a committee of the proprietors 
met Robert Boyes, Esq., James Caldwell, and John McAllister, 
at Dunstable, and there it was voted " to build a meeting-house 
on or near Lot 79, fifty feet long, and forty feet wide, with all 
convenient speed." June 9, of the same year, the proprietors 
met at New Boston, and, after voting to pay twenty-one dollars 
for past preaching, also voted again to build a meeting-house. 
Still the contention continued as to location ; and, September 
14, 1762, at Dunstable, it was " voted unanimously that Ma- 
thew Patten, Esq., Capt. John Chamberlin, and Samuel Patten, 
or any two of them, be desired and impowered to fix a spot in 
the most convenient place in said New Boston, to build a Meet- 
ing-House, or place for public worship thereon, at the cost of 
the Proprietors, and are desired to report as soon as possible. 
And the subscribers being present at the above vote, signified 
our consent of said vote, and oblige ourselves to abide by the 
determination of said committee, or any two of them, as wit- 
ness our hands for selves and constituence." This was signed 
by James Halsey, for himself and twelve others, for whom he 
was authorized to act ; John Hill, Robert Jenkins, Robert 
Boyes, Thomas Cochran, James Caldwell, for self and six oth- 
ers ; William Moor, John McAllister, George Cristy, James 
Hunter, Thomas Wilson, and Allen Moor. 

The following is the report of the committee : — 

To the Proprietors of New Boston : — 

Gentlemen: — Pursuant to the vote and desire at the meeting held at 
Dunstable, in the Province of New Hampshire, the 14th of Sept., 1762, — 

We, the subscribers, have attended the business therein mentioned, at said 
meeting, desiring us to choose a proper place to build a meeting-house in New 
Boston ; we viewed the place or premises, heard the reasonings of the Propri- 
14 



106 



etors and inhabitants of said town, and do report to the said Propriety, that the 
Lot No. 79, in the second Division, and near the centre of said Lot, on the 
south side of Piscataqnog Eiver, south of a Red Oak tree, marked with letter 
C, near the grave of a child buried there, is the most proper place or spot to 
build a Meeting-house on in town, according to our judgment. 

MATTHEW PATTEN,) 
JOHN CHAMBERLIN, V- Committee. 
SAMUEL PATTEN, ) 
Witness our hand, July 24, 1763. 

This report was accepted by the proprietors, at a meeting held 
at Dunstable, September 28, 1763, at which "were present 
James Halsey, John Hill, Esq., Robert Jenkins, Robert Boyes, 
Esq., Thomas Corkrin, Col. Joseph Williams, Esq., John McAl- 
lister, Allen Moor, William Moor, Robert Clark, George Christy, 
Abraham Corkrin, and James Hunter." At their meeting in 
Dunstable, April 24, 1764, it was also voted by the proprie- 
tors, " That the Committee already appointed for building said 
meeting-house be desired to agree with some suitable person 
for building said house as soon as may be." That committee 
was the " standing committee " of the proprietors, consisting of 
James Halsey, John Hill, Robert Boyes, Thomas Cochran, and 
James Caldwell. At the same time this committee were author- 
ized to sell any unappropriated lands belonging to the proprie- 
tors, " either in the old town or in the new addition, of lands 
for building the Meeting-house " ; while direct taxes were as- 
sessed " on each proprietor's right or rights," for the same 
purpose. 

It would seem that this committee contracted with Ebenezer 
Beard to build the house, as September 30, 1766, at a meeting 
of proprietors at Dunstable, " at the house of Thomas Harrod, 
taverner," it was voted, "That John Hill, Esq., and Robert 
Jenkins, be a committee to treat with and agree with Mr. 
Ebenezer Beard, about the building and finishing the meeting- 
house and settling his accounts so far as is already done, and 
pass receipts with said Beard, as to what he has already done 
to the meeting-house, and what he has already received to- 
wards it." And the same committee were instructed, in the 
following April, again to settle with him. There seems to 
have been much delay in completing his contract, and the 



107 



proprietors, becoming impatient, instructed Thomas Cochran 
and James Caldwell to hire workmen to finish the meeting- 
house, provided Beard did not finish said house by the first of 
July next (1767). It is, however, intimated that Beard was not 
to finish the whole of the interior of the house, — only the 
lower story, with the pulpit, and seats for the singers. It would 
seem that Beard completed his contract since the proprietors 
voted, September 15, 1767, " to give Ebenezer Beard one hun- 
dred acres of land in'the New Addition above what they had 
contracted to give, since said Beard complained that he had a 
hard bargain." And this was confirmed September 6, 1768, and 
Thomas Cochran was authorized to give him a deed of said 
one hundred acres of land, " when it shall appear to said 
Thomas Cochran, that Ebenezer Beard has finished his work, 
according to his agreement, on the meeting-house." Lot No. 
16 in " New Addition," was selected, and Mr. Beard was set- 
tled with and paid in full, agreeably to contract ; and the pro- 
prietors " resign their interest in the gallery to the inhabitants 
of the town, provided they will join with the resident propri- 
etors in finishing the gallery and the meeting-house to the sat- 
isfaction of said residents." And, after assigning to each orig- 
inal proprietor one-half of a pew on the ground floor, the pro- 
prietors seem to leave the meeting-house to be finished and 
cared for by the town. And it will be observed that this brings 
us into the year 1768, twenty-eight years since the erection of 
the first meeting-house on " the Plains," in the northeast part 
of the town. Meantime, the town has received its charter of 
Incorporation from " George the Third, by the grace of God, 
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the 
Faith, etc., through his "trusty and well-beloved BenningWent- 
worth, Esq., our Governor and Commander-in-Chief, and of 
our Council for said Province of New Hampshire ; " and the 
inhabitants have greatly increased and improved in their ma- 
terial interests and comforts. Nor have they been indifferent 
respecting a house of worship and the stated ministrations of 
the word. ' But they have earnestly sought for a habitation for 
their God, and longed for his courts. They have had such 
preaching in their private houses as they could obtain, and 
have thanked God and taken courage during the long period 



108 



of "hope deferred." Thus the Eev. Mr. Hancock preached 
for them some weeks in 1762, and every year more or less of 
money was raised and appropriated for preaching, and various 
attempts were made to obtain some one to break to them the 
bread of life. October 3, 1763, the town voted " that Nathan- 
iel Cochran make application in behalf of the town at a meet- 
ing of ministers at Hollis for some preaching." March 4, 
1765, the town voted " to have Eev. Mr. Huston preach five 
or six Sabbath days." Other ministers were heard at different 
times with great satisfaction. And thus piety was kept alive, 
and the children were brought to the altar of baptism, and the 
Sabbath was kept holy, and their longing desires for the gospel 
were, in a measure, gratified. But how great the joy felt at 
the sight of a meeting-house on their own soil and within their 
own limits, it is now difficult for us to conceive. It is said 
that not a few wept for joy of it, and a day for thanksgiving 
to God was observed by the town when their temple could 
be used for worship, and much prayer was offered that He 
would enable them to secure the settlement of a minister 
among them. They lingered long about the courts of the 
Lord's house, counting the dust and the stones and the wood 
s acred. It was an imposing structure for those days. It was 
" fifty feet long and forty feet wide and twenty-two feet stud," 
with a front door five feet wide towards the south, another 
towards the west, and another towards the east, while the pul- 
pit was on the north side, with square pews all around by the 
walls of the house, with a broad alley in the centre, and square 
pews on either side, and an alley between them and the pews 
on the sides, while the pulpit was of ample dimensions and im- 
posing height, with its mysterious sounding-board above, and the 
minister's pew on the west side of the pulpit, close by the stairs 
which led to it. The singers' seats were on a large scale on the 
south side of the house in the gallery, though, until they were 
finished, the town voted " to give the teached singers two seats 
on the west side of the broad alley." Thus in 1768 the meet- 
ing-house was so far finished as to be considered a comfortable 
and appropriate house for worship, though, it was not entirely 
completed until as late as 1786. Yet the house began to be 
used for worship as early as 1767, the year in which the 
Rev. Solomon Moor began his labors. 



109 



REV. SOLOMON MOOR. 



He was born in Newtown, Limavady, in Ireland, 1736, the 
same year the Grant of New Boston was obtained. He grad- 
uated at the University of Glasgow in 1758, and was licensed 
to preach by the Presbytery of Londonderry, Ireland, July 26, 
1762, and was ordained in 1766 as a minister at large. This 
was done with a view of coming to America to labor wherever 
in the providence of God a field of usefulness might be opened. 
Accordingly he sailed for Halifax, where he arrived in October, 
1766. After remaining there a few weeks, he proceeded to Bos- 
tonj Massachusetts, and preached for the first time in America 
in that city, in the pulpit of Rev. Mr. Moorhead. The next 
Sabbath he preached at Londonderry for the Rev. Mr. Mc- 
Gregor; and February, 1767, he came to New Boston, to which 
place he was recommended by letters of commendation from 
Rev. William Davidson, the pastor of the First Church in Lon- 
donderry. It should be remembered that a large proportion 
of the first settlers of New Boston came from Londonderry, and 
they naturally maintained much intercourse with the churches 
whence they came, and enjoyed the sympathy and paternal care 
of the pastors. It is evident that they had solicited the aid of 
Rev. Mr. Davidson in obtaining a minister. Hence Mr. Moor 
was encouraged to visit New Boston, and spend at least a few 
months with the scattered population of that town. And Mr. 
Moor seemed adapted to that people, both by birth and educa- 
tion. He had no prejudices to overcome, but gained ready ac- 
cess to their confidence ; and with great unanimity the inhabi- 
tants presented him the following call, August 25, 1767 : "We, 
the inhabitants of the town of New Boston, as sensible of the 
repeated instances of the goodness of our kind Benefactor, par- 
ticularly in smiling upon our new settlement so that from a 
very small, in a few years are increased to a considerable num- 
ber, and the wilderness, by God's kind influences, is in many 
places amongst us become a fruitful field, affording us a com- 
fortable sustenance ; we acknowledge that we are not proprietors 
of our estates in the sight of God, but stewards, and therefore 
they are to be improved for his honor, the spreading and estab- 
lishment of his interest; and being destitute of a fixed pastor, 



110 



and having longing and earnest inclinations to have one 
established amongst us, that we may have the gospel 
mysteries unfolded and ordinances administered amongst 
us, the appointed means in God's house below, that we 
and our seed may be disciplined and trained up for his 
house in glory above ; as the kind providence of God has 
opened such a door by, sir, your coming amongst us, we are 
led cheerfully to embrace the happy opportunity, being well 
assured, reverend sir, by unexceptional credentials as to your 
ministerial abilities to preach the gospel, and likewise as to 
your exemplary life, which gives force to what is preached, as 
also the suitableness and agreeableness of what you preach to 
our capacities, we, earnestly imploring direction from the Be- 
ing that alone can effectually direct us in such a weighty and 
soul-concerning matter, we, with hearts full of well-guided affec- 
tion, do, in the most hearty manner, invite, call, and intreat you, 
the Rev. Solomon Moor, to undertake the office of a pastor 
amongst us, and the charge of our souls forced upon your ac- 
cepting this our call, as we hope the Lord will move and incline 
you so to do, we in a most solemn manner promise you all du- 
tiful respect, encouragement, and obedience in the Lord ; 
further, as the laborer is worthy of his hire, and he that serves 
at the altar should live by it, as we have nothing but what we 
have received, we are willing to improve part of our portions 
in this life that we may be made partakers of everlasting por- 
tion in the life to come, by the blessing of God, under your 
ministry, and for your encouragement and temporal reward, 
we promise you yearly forty pounds sterling per annum for the 
first five years after your instalment, and after that the addi- 
tion of five pounds more sterling. August the 25, 1767. Sub- 
scribed by John Smith, Matthew Caldwell, William Caldwell, 
Jesse Christy, Thomas Cochran, James Ferson, Alexander Mc- 
Collom, William Clark, James Cochran, William Gray, Abra- 
ham Cochran, James Wilson, George Cristy, Alexander Wil- 
son, James Hunter, Alexander Graham, Samuel McAllister, 
Thomas McColom, Ninian Clark, Peter Cochran, Reuben Smith, 
Hardry Ferson, John Blair, John Cochran, Jr., Thomas Coch- 
ran, Jr., Allen Moor, William McNeil, Jr., Thomas Quigely, 
William Kelsey, John Cochran, William Boyes, Paul Ferson, 



Ill 



James Ferson, Jr., Thomas Wilson, William Blair, John Mc- 
Allister, Anamias McAllister, Archabald McAllister, Robert 
White, John Burns, Robert Livingston, Nathaniel Cochran, 
William Livingston, John Gordon." 

The call thus given to Mr. Moor by individuals was subse- 
quently adopted and confirmed by a vote of the town at a legal 
meeting. But, though this was given Aug. 25, 1767, it was not 
accepted until July 1, 1768, although he had been with this 
people more than six months before the call was given. Rea- 
sons for so long a delay is hinted at by those who think that 
love is omnipotent in controlling men's decisions. Tradition 
has it that Mr. Moor would not agree to settle here until he 
could gain the consent of a fair lady to share with him the pri- 
vations and hardships incident to a settlement in what was then 
called, in Londonderry, "The Woods." It will be remembered 
that Mr. Moor spent some months at Londonderry before com- 
ing to New Boston, and there the softer passions were fanned 
into a flame by the charming graces of Miss Ann Davidson, 
daughter of Rev. William Davidson. She was not indifferent 
to his solicitations, but desired that a different field might be 
presented to him, more in accordance with her ambition and 
cultivated manners. She had been educated at Schenectady, 
N. Y., and Boston, Mass., and had been reared in an intelligent 
community ; for Londonderry was " no mean city." She had 
already sent out several colonies, and raised up not a few 
" mighty men of valor," and men wise to expound the " law of 
the Lord," and to frame constitutions for states and the nation. 
A nd it is not strange that Miss Davidson, who was much young- 
er than he, refused at first to " go with the man." But Mr. 
Moor believed in " the perseverance " of good men, and re- 
newed and redoubled his efforts to win the hand of one 
whose lofty bearing and noble spirit promised to make him a 
happy man, amid " the difficulties of the way ; " and Mr. 
Robert White, afterwards Deacon, with whom he had boarded 
since his arrival, proposed that Deacon Thomas Cochran go to 
Londonderry, to confer with the " damsel," and carry a " clus- 
ter of the grapes of Eschol," and magnify the goodliness of the 
land to which they desired her to come. At length, in the 
month of June, 1768, Thomas Cochran and his " blessed wife 



112 



Jenny, saddled their asses," and tracked their way to " Derry 
Town," on the important mission of aiding their minister to ob- 
tain a wife, and visiting their friends. They accomplished their 
object, and Mr. Moor, having thereby " conquered prejudices," 
with a joyful heart " undertook the cure of souls " in New Bos- 
ton. The people had their hearts set upon Mr. Moor's remain- 
ing with them, and did all in their power to prepare the way. 
In drawing the ministry lots, no one chanced to be very near 
the centre of the town. Lot 61, in the western part of the 
town, was a ministry lot, which the town voted to exchange for 
lot 53, which had been drawn for a school lot, and this last was 
in the southern part of the town, more than two miles from 
the meeting-house. It was here, in the neighborhood of several 
very early settlements, that they proposed their pastor should 
have his dwelling, and towards the clearing of which, and the 
erection of buildings, they promised material aid. The town 
had been a little impatient under his long delay to answer then" 
call, as is evident from the following vote,- taken in connection 
with what had before transpired : — " March 7, 1768, Voted, 
Thomas Cochran, James Ferson, Thomas Quigely, Daniel Mc- 
Millen, and William Clark, committee to treat with Rev. Solo- 
mon Moor, in regard to his settling in New Boston ; and in case 
the said Moor will not. stay, to provide preaching some other 
way for the present year." But August 15, 1768, the town 
" Voted, that Eobert White provide entertainment for ministers 
at the instalment of Rev. Mr. Moor, and bring in his charge to 
the town," and Mr. Moor was installed Sept. 6, 1768, as the 
minister of the town, with prospects of permanent usefulness. 
The occasion was one of great interest. Ample provisions were 
made for the entertainment of strangers. The clay at first 
promised to be unpropitious ; but at length the threatening 
clouds passed away, and every path was trod by the multitude 
that sought to witness the installation of the first minister in 
New Boston. It is believed that the Rev. David McGregor, of 
Londonderry, preached the installing sermon, and the Rev. 
William Davidson gave the charge to the pastor. 



li: 



ORGANIZATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

There are no records to show the time of the gathering of the 
Presbyterian Church. It is generally believed, however, that 
it was organized the same day the Rev. Mr. Moor was installed, 
Sept. 6, 1768 ; though there are reasons to suppose that it had 
an earlier origin. Thomas Cochran and Archibald McMillen 
are called " Deacons " prior to Mr. Moor's installation, in the 
records of the Proprietors, while there is no reason to believe 
that they had been Deacons in any church before coming to 
this town. Mr. Farmer, the well-known statistician, gave 1768 
as the origin of the church, and the Rev. Dr. Whiton, of Antrim, 
concurs with him. But we think neither of them had access to 
the records to which we have alluded, and that they fixed on 
that date because no positive record could be found, and that 
date must be sufficiently late to render it certain that the 
church did at that time exist. But it is hardly to be credited 
that a people so religious and so highly prizing the ordinances 
of religion as the first settlers of New Boston, while they were 
having more or less of preaching every year, should neglect to or- 
ganize themselves into a church, or that such excellent pastors 
as those of the churches of Londonderry, and other towns, who 
had sent their members into this new settlement, should neglect 
to gather them within the enclosure of church relations, for a 
period of twenty-eight years. It is known that ministers of the 
towns whence the settlers came, were accustomed to perform 
more or less of labor in this town gratuitously every year, thus 
caring for the scattered members of their flocks. Hence, we 
are of the opinion that the church in New Boston was organized 
much earlier than 1768, though the precise • time cannot be 
known. The session of the church in 1768 was thus consti- 
tuted : Mr. Moor, Pastor; Thomas Cochran, James Ferson, 
John Smith, Archibald McMillen, Jesse Christie, and Robert 
White, Deacons. Thus, strengthened by the cooperation and 
counsels of good men, in the session and in the church, Mr. 
Moor girded himself for the labor of converting the wilderness 
into a fruitful field. And, to aid him still further in his work, 
he led to the hymeneal altar, July 16, 1770, Miss Ann David- 
son, of Londonderry, then only twenty years old. The bride's 

15 



114 



father performed the marriage service, ami Mr. Moor and his 
wife accompanied by a large number of her friends, started for 
New Boston, each riding a spirited steed, and were met on the 
way by large numbers of their parishioners, who gave them a 
cordial greeting, and escorted them to their new home, where 
old men and women, young men and maidens were assembled 
for a most generous "house-warming." The excitement was 
intense at their arrival, and strong arms of loving Scotch women 
bore their minister's wife from the saddle to her chamber, and 
from thence, in the same manner, she descended to the reception- 
room. Ample provision was made for a joyous festival, and 
the swift hours of evening but too soon fled amid scenes deemed 
appropriate to the event. 

During the war of the Revolution, many patriots distrusted 
the loyalty of Mr. Moor to their cause, and were less cordial 
toward him and his wife, but there was no serious interruption 
in his relation to the people. In due time that prejudice passed 
away ; and, amid efforts to advance the cause of education, 
to promote peace between contending parties and angry indi- 
viduals, he successfully preached the gospel and blessed the 
people. He introduced large numbers to the ordinances of 
baptism and the supper, though the church enjoyed no special 
revivals during his ministry. Mr. Moor was Calvanistic in his 
doctrinal views and teachings, though not of the most rigid sort. 
He has been charged with being an Armenian by not a few in 
later years ; but we think without any good reason. Mr. Moor 
was a man of great moderation, and yet greater charity. He 
lived in times very different from the present, and was lax in 
discipline, and allowed some practices which would not now be 
tolerated. But there seems to be no reliable evidence that he 
had any sympathy with Armenianism. He was always in cor- 
dial sympathy with his ministerial brethren, and always wel- 
comed to their pulpits by their people, while his own church 
and people cherished for him profound respect . He lived and 
died greatly beloved by his flock. His death occurred May 28, 
1803, aged 67, after a ministry of thirty-four years and four 
months. His death was occasioned by a severe cold, which ter- 
minated in congestion of the lungs. He was fully sensible of 
death's approach, and spoke freely of his departure to those 



115 



who saw him, expressing great attachment to his people, and 
deep anxiety for them, as they were now to be left as sheep with- 
out a shepherd. After cxorting them to strive to perpetuate 
peace, and cultivate mutal forbearance, he seems to have 
been able to trust them in the hands of his Master, saying, 
" The Lord will keep you, and give you. another pastor more 
faithful than I have been." Thus the good man blessed his 
household and his people, and fell asleep, a rich smile long rest- 
ing upon his countenance. His funeral was attended at the 
meeting-house, May 31, by a large concourse of people from 
all parts of the town, and from neighboring communities, 
when a solemn and affecting discourse was delivered by the 
Rev. Dr. William Morrison, of Londonderry, from the text, Job 
xxx. 23, " For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and 
to the house appointed for all living." 

Mrs. Moor survived her husband many years, living where 
he died, with some of her children and grandchildren about 
her, making herself useful to them and others. She retained 
her faculties to the last, fond of society, indulging in sprightly 
conversation and occasional repartees. She had been a faithful 
wife, looking well to her household, and putting her hand to the 
distaff. She died Nov. 22, 1842, aged 96 years, more than 
thirty-eight years after the death of her husband, in a good old 
age, greatly lamented by a large circle of kindred and friends. 
Her husband praised her while he lived, and his successor in 
the ministry praised her when she was dead. To her cordial 
sympathy and encouragment Mr. Bradford acknowledged him- 
self greatly indebted. She became to him a mother, and loved 
and prayed for him until the last, never omitting an opportu- 
nity to cheer him when despondent, or to minister to his comfort, 
or contribute to his usefulness. And her kindness never failed 
to be appreciated by the great heart of that man of God. To 
the dignity, intelligence, and Christian deportment of Mrs. 
Moor may be traced in no small degree the excellences which 
characterized the generation of women who were brought 
within the range of her influence, and which are not wanting 
in their successors. 

The children of Mr. Moor were : Mary, born Aug. 27, 1771 ; 
Witter Davidson, born May 16, 1773 ; Frances, born April 22. 



116 

1775 ; Ann, born March 8, 1778 ; John, born Oct. 17, 1782 ; 
and Elizabeth Cummings, born Sept. 30, 1784. 

Mary married Samuel Cochran, of Londonderry, and at her 
death left three children, Frances, Nancy, and Solomon. 

Witter was killed by the falling of a tree when a child. 

Frances married Capt. John Smith, of Goffstown, for many 
years a distinguished school-teacher, and subsequently a mer- 
chant. Mrs. Smith died May 7, 1807, and he Nov. 11, 1851, 
their children being, Alfred, who married Elizabeth Howard, of 
Temple, and lives in Goffstown, having eight children ; Alfred ; 
xinn Elizabeth ; John Witter ; Abby Frances, Nancy Moor ; 
Jane Harris ; and Solomon Moor, now in the first New Hamp- 
shire Battery. 

Witter, son of Frances, died young. So also Solomon Moor 
and Nancy Moor, and Frances Moor became the wife of Dea. 
Joseph Hadley, of Goffstown. 

Ann, daughter of Rev. S. Moor, died unmarried, Nov. 23, 
1859, aged 81. 

John, son of Rev. S. Moor, married Mehitable Ray, of Mount 
Vernon, and their children are, Solomon, living in Washington, 
D. C. ; James Ray, living in Amherst ; Sabrina Ray, who became 
the wife of Daniel Campbell, Esq.; Frances Smith, who became 
the wife of Alfred E. Cochran, and soon died ; John Hamilton, 
living in Washington, D. C; Eliza Ann, who became the wife 
of Samuel Leach, her children being Emily Frances, Samuel 
Mitchell, Sarah Danforth, Sabrina Campbell, James Ray, Mehit- 
able Mead, and Solomon Moor. 

Mehitable Ray, daughter of John Moor, became the wife of 
Frank Mead, and lives in Littleton, Mass. 

Nancy, John Moor's daughter, married Dalton Clark, and 
lives in Davenport, Iowa. 

George Rodney, son of John Moor, lives in Manchester. 

Mr. John Moor's second wife was Mrs. Martha Morrison, 
daughter of David Sprague, of Bedford, and their children are 
Frances and Ellen. Mr. Moor died Oct. 28, 1862, aged 80. . 

Elizabeth Cummings was married by Rev. Mr. Bradford to 
James McCurdy, March, 1813, and lives in New Boston ; her 
children, being Solomon Moor ; Witter Smith, living in Law- 
rence, Kansas ; John, now in California ; James, now on the 
homestead ; Jesse, in Quitman, Miss., and Ann Elizabeth. 



117 



REV. EPHRAIM PUTNAM BRADFORD. 

After the death of Mr. Moor, the pulpit was gratuitously 
supplied in favor of the widow of the late pastor, for several 
months, by clergymen in the vicinity. Among those who are 
remembered to have given a Sabbath each, are Goodridge of 
Lyndeborough, Burnap of Merrimac, Barnard of Amherst, 
Morrison of Londonderry, Miles of Temple, Bruce of Mount 
Vernon, Bradford of Francestown, Paige of Hancock, Clark of 
Greenfield, Dunbar of Peterborough, Fullerton of Antrim, 
Morril of Goffstown, Moore of Milford, Beede of Wilton, Brown 
of Londonderry, Dana of Newburyport, Sleigh of Dcering, and 
Clay ford of Weare. 

The town, at a legal meeting Aug. 18, 1803, appointed Dea. 
William McNeil, Jacob Hooper, and Ninian Clark a committee 
to supply the pulpit " after the ministers have supplied their 
tours." It would seem that in the early part of 1804 the Rev. 
Mr. Harris supplied the pulpit for a time, and the town voted 
him a call, May 27, 1804, which he did not accept, having 
engaged to preach at Windham for a certain number of months. 
But the hope of obtaining him was not abandoned. Accord- 
ingly, in July of this year, the town instructed their committee 
to hire Mr. Harris for two months. He seems to have given 
satisfaction to a majority, and a call was voted him with a salary 
of $ 400, Sept. 3 ; and in December the time was voted for his 
ordination, he having accepted the call. Seven ministers were 
invited by the town to constitute a council to ordain him, 
consisting of Harris of Dunbarton, Bradford, Bruce, Barnard, 
Miles, Colly, and Morrison. Dec. 13, 1804, at a legal meeting, 
it was " Voted, that the Hon. Council meet at Mr. John Good- 
hue's Tuesday next, at ten of the clock, forenoon, and that this 
meeting stand adjourned to that time." The council met, but 
great opposition to the settlement of Mr. Harris manifested 
itself, and it was deemed inexpedient to ordain him. Mr. 
Harris was an estimable man, but was thought by an influen- 
tial minority to be inadequate to the demands of the people. 
Perhaps his doctrinal views seemed too rigid, — especially did 
his rejection of the " half-way covenant " offend some who 
would otherwise have been favorably disposed to his settlement. 



118 



Mr. Harris subsequently settled in Windham, and proved him- 
self a faithful and successful minister of Christ. 

At the annual meeting of the town, March 18, 1805, Capt. 
Ephraim Jones, Lieut. Samuel Gregg, and Robert Clark, were 
appointed a committee to supply the pulpit ; and they invited 
Ephraim P. Bradford to preach as a caudidate for settlement. 
He was the son of Capt. John Bradford of Milford, afterwards 
of Hancock, a member of the Baptist church, but of enlarged 
and liberal sentiments, availing himself of every occasion to 
partake of the Lord's Supper, whenever his son administered 
the ordinance. Mr. Bradford fitted for College at Amherst and 
Andover, Mass., and graduated at Harvard University in 1803, 
with a high reputation for scholarship. He had Pay son and 
several others for his classmates, who in subsequent years 
attained great eminence. After teaching for a time, he studied 
theology with the justly celebrated Dr. Lathrop of West Spring- 
field, Mass., and having been licensed to preach hi 1804, at 
West Springfield, he came to Xew Boston in the latter part of 
May, 1805. He seems to have made a favorable impression at 
his coming; and Aug. 21, 1805,. the town instructed their 
committee " to hire Mr. Bradford two months longer as a cau- 
didate." Nov. 11, 1805, the town voted to give him a call to 
settle with them, pledging him a salary of four hundred dollars 
per annum, " and four hundred dollars as settlement." Capt. 
Ephraim Jones, Maj. Crombie, Dr. Luke Lincoln, Robert Clark, 
and Capt. John Cochran, were appointed to prepare and present 

the following call : — 

i 

We. the Congregation of New Boston, being on sufficient grounds well 
satisfied with the ministerial qualifications of you, Mr. Ephraim P. Bradford, 
and having good hopes from our past experience of your labors, that your 
ministrations in the gospel will be profitable to our spiritual interests, do 
earnestly call and desire you to undertake the pastoral office in said Congre- 
gation, promising you in the discharge of your duty all proper support, 
encouragement, and obedience in the Lord. 

And, that you may be free from worldly cares and avocations, we hereby 
promise and engage to pay you the sum of four hundred dollars, in regular 
annual payments, during the time of your being and continuing the regular 
Pastor of this Church, reserving to the use of the town all ministerial rights 
and privileges. And should it please God that you should settle among us, 
for your further encouragement, we hereby promise, engage, and oblige 



119 



ourselves to pay you the sum of four hundred dollars as a donation or settling 
money, the one-half to be paid to you in three months after you' shall have 
taken the pastoral office in said Congregation ; the other in nine months as 
aforesaid. 

In testimony whereof, we have respectively subscribed our names in behalf 
of the town of New Boston, this twenty-seventh day of November, 1805. 

EPHRAIM JONES, 1 n .„ , 7 y7 

ROBERT CLARK, Committee chosen by the 

WILLIAM CROMBIE, L Congregation oj New 
LUKE LINCOLN, | Boston to sign and pre- 

JOHN CROMBIE, Jr., J sent me caiL 



At the same time the call was voted, the town appointed a 
day for fasting and prayer, with reference to the settlement of 
Mr. Bradford. And, what may seem not a little strange to us, 
agreeably to an article in their warrant, the town " Voted Dea. 
William McNeil, Robert Patterson, Jr., Robert Campbell, 
Thomas Cochran, Robert Clark, James Ferson, Capt. John 
Cochran, Thomas Smith, Jr., and Geary Whiting, be Deacons 
in the Presbyterian Church of Christ in this town." It would 
seem that several of these men did not consent to be " quali- 
fied." The church meantime was not indifferent nor inactive. 
At a meeting of the church, held Jan. 14, 1805, Daniel Dane 
was chosen Moderator, and Robert Clark, Church Clerk ; and 
a committee, consisting of Ninian Clark, Daniel Dane, and 
Josiah Warren, were appointed " to examine the old records 
respecting the church-standing," and to report at an adjourned 
meeting. But this committee reported that no records of the 
church could be found, nor have any been found to this day. 
The church voted, " to stand upon the same footing they for- 
merly have ; " " that the Clerk make a record of the then 
existing members ; " and a day for fasting and prayer " be 
appointed before the town present their call to Mr. Ephraim P. 
Bradford." 

The following is a catalogue of the existing members of the Church in the 
town of New Boston, the 28th October, 1805 : Madam Moor, Dea. Jesse Cristy, 
Dea. Robert White, his wife Mary White, Dea. Wm. McNeil, Rachel McNeil 
Allen Moor, James Willson, Mary Willson, James Crombie, Jane Crombie,Wm. 
Clark, Ninian Clark, John Cochran, Elizabeth Cochran, Peter Cochran, Mary 
Cochran, James Caldwell, Martha Caldwell, Robert Patterson, Margaret Patter- 
son, Robert Patterson, Jr., Susanna Patterson, Daniel Dane, Sarah Dane, Isaac 



120 



Peabody, Mary Peabody, Kobert Campbell, Elizabeth Campbell, Wm. Kelso, 
Agnes Kelso, Daniel Kelso, Mary Kelso, James Ferson, Mary Ferson, Josiah 
Warren, Jane Warren, Wm. Campbell, Ann Campbell, James Willson, Jr., 
Jennet Willson, James Gregg, Jennet Gregg, Jacob Hooper, James Cochran, 
Elizabeth Cochran, John Henery, Mrs. Heneiy, John Livingston, Wm. Baird, 
Jane Baird, James Cairns, Mary Cairns, Thomas Smith, Jr., Esther Smith, 
Robert Boyd, Mary Boyd, John Gordon, Jennet Gordon, Samuel Stickney, 
Mrs. Stickney, Thomas Mullet, Mrs. Mullet, Isaac Peabody, Jr., Mary Pea- 
body, Robert Cochran, Sarah Cochran, James McMillen, Mrs. McMillen, 
Alexander McCollom, Mary McCollom, Elijah Cochran, Jemima Cochran, 
Samuel Gregg, Mrs. Gregg, Joseph Cochran, Margarett Cochran, Geary 
Whiting, Nabby Whiting, Thomas Cochran, Margaret Cochran, Robert 
Clark, Annis Clark, John Cochran, Jr., Frances Cochran, Robert Crombie, 
Mary Crombie, Thomas Moor, Mary Ann Moor, Robert Cristy, Mrs. Sarah 
Cristy, widow Ann Smith, widow Jennet Cochran, widow Lydia Dodge, 
widow McLaughlin, widow Mary McMillen, widow Alexander, widow Joanna 
Dodge, widow Mary Hogg, Christiana Donovan, Hannah Ferson, Lydia Pat- 
terson, old widow Beard, Rebeccah Cristy, Gizza McNeil, Samuel Abbot, 
Joseph Leach, Jr., Mary Leach, Wm. Clark, Jr., Abagail Clark, Mary Liv- 
ingston. 

At a meeting of the church, Jan. 13, 1806, it was " Voted, 
to take the yeas and nays on the subject whether the church 
thought it expedient that Mr. Bradford should answer his call 
in the affirmative or in the negative," when thirty-two voted in 
the affirmative, and two in the negative. The two who voted 
against Mr. Bradford were Daniel Dane and Jacob* Hooper, 
having some fears of his orthodoxy ; but they soon became his 
most faithful friends. At the same meeting it was " Yoted, 
that if Mr. Bradford should settle over this Church, that he 
would settle agreeably to the Presbyterian order." And the 
town, Feb. 10, 1806, agreeably to an article in their warrant, 
" Yoted, to acquiesce with the Church in settling Mr. Bradford 
in the Presbyterian mode." The way being thus prepared, Mr. 
Bradford submitted the following reply to the call of the town, 
bearing date Nov. 27, 1805, but not delivered until Feb. 10, 
1806 : — 

Brethren, — 

I now proceed to communicate to you, the church and congregation of 
New Boston, my answer to the call presented by you to me to settle with you 
as your religious instructor. The connection which you have invited me to 
form with you is highly important. I have deliberated long and seriously upon 
the subject, have consulted the opinions and taken the advice of as many 



121 



of the people in the town as my other duties would allow me to see, on the 
subject. I have not neglected to ask the direction of Him who is the Father 
of light, and without whose guidance we should be miserable indeed. It can 
be of no service, to you or myself, to remain any longer in susjiense on this 
interesting subject. With the expression of my gratitude for the favorable 
opinion you have manifested of me, I do accept your call to settle with you, 
as your religious instructor. In forming this determination, I have not been 
unmindful of the responsibility I now take upon myself. On this occasion I 
cannot avoid looking forward to the solemn hour when I must answer to the 
Judge of the quick and deal, for the manner in which I perform the duties 
which will devolve on me. You, likewise, my brethren, must be answerable 
for the manner in which you shall perform your duty as hearers. I am willing 
to live with you as a brother, to participate and rejoice with you in prosperity, 
and to suffer with you in adversity. You will extend your charity to my 
imperfections, knowing that I am, like yourselves, a frail creature. In forming 
your opinion of my professional performances, you will consider my inexpe- 
rience in my profession ; should it please God to continue my life and health, 
I hope through his assistance to perform the duties of my profession better 
than I can be expected to do at present. 

My fervent prayer to God is that you may be built up in the most holy 
faith ; that you may long experience how good and how pleasant a thing it is 
for brethren to dwell together in unity ; and that you may finally be reunited, 
through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, in those mansions of happiness and 
rest which He has gone to prepare for all those that love his appearing. 

EPHRAIM P. BRADFORD. 

Upon the reception of this favorable response, the town 
" Voted, to have the ordination the last Wednesday [the 26th] 
of February instant," and appointed Capt. Ephraim Jones, Dea. 
Robert Clark, and Lt. Samuel Gregg a committee " to notify 
the Presbytery, and provide for the same." At the same time 
it was " Voted, to have six Congregational ministers to join the 
Presbytery as Council ; " and Mr. Bradford chose one and the 
town one alternately. And the ministers thus chosen were, 
Harris of Dunbarton, Barnard of Amherst, Bradford of Fran- 
cestown, Bruce of Mount Vernon, Moor of Milford, and Miles 
of Temple, " to act as Council with the Presbytery." And 
then, with a big heart, the town " Voted, to give all the neigh- 
boring ministers an invitation to attend, and the Selectmen to 
notify them." Maj. William Crombie, Dr. Luke Lincoln, and 
James Willson, Esq., were appointed " a committee to arrange 
and marshal the day ; " and Alexander McCollom, Capt. Rob- 
ert Christy, Daniel Clark, Capt. John Cochran, and Win. Clark 

16 



122 



were " to prop the galleries, and keep the doors shut, and keep 
order in the house ; " while Wm. B. Dodge, Capt. Kobert "War- 
ren, and Nathan Marden were required " to superintend the 
singers, and provide for the same." 

All this was characteristic of the men of New Boston fifty 
. years ago. They had souls, and, if they undertook a thing, 
they accomplished it manfully. They attached a value to " a 
good name," and resolved that their posterity should never rise 
up and call them mean men. The men of later days who con- 
tend that the town has no right to do anything for religion and 
the morals of the people, but to repudiate its financial indebt- 
edness to the church, have no sentiment in common with the 
men of fifty or a hundred years ago. They consult to break 
down churches and the ministry, while the fathers saw that the 
highest interest of the community required that the sanctuary 
and the ministry should be liberally sustained. Therefore the 
occasion of the settlement of a minister inspired them to devise 
liberally and to execute magnanimously. Nothing was wanting 
on the part of the town to render the ordination of their chosen 
pastor impressive and profitable. And the 26th of February 
was cherished by that generation as the most delightful in all 
their lives. The assembly was large, and the services were 
worthy the men and the occasion. The Rev. Jesse Appleton 
of Hampton, pastor of a Congregational church, afterwards 
president of Bowdoin College, preached the sermon, from 
1 Cor. i. 20 : " Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and 
that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the 
same judgment." Why Dr. Appleton was chosen by Mr. Brad- 
ford to preach the sermon, may be seen in the fact that Dr. 
Appleton was a native of New Ipswich, studied theology with 
the Rev. Dr. Lathrop, married the daughter of the Hon. Robert 
Means, of Amherst, and was fast rising in the public estimation 
as a preacher of the gospel, being the next year inaugurated 
president of Bowdoin College. 

The hand of fellowship was given by the Rev. Mr. McGregor, 
of Bedford ; and the charge to the pastor by the Rev. William 
Morrison, of Londonderry. Characteristically, the church, 
after giving thanks to these gentlemen for their services in the 



123 

ordination, requested copies of the sermon, fellowship, and 
charge, for publication; and the town, at a legal* meeting, 
chose a committee to superintend the printing, and to give a 
copy to every family in the town. Accordingly the sermon and 
charge were printed and circulated at the expense of the town. 

It is not quite apparent who all the elders of the church 
were at Mr. Bradford's ordination. The records from 1805 to 
1826 are very incomplete and unsatisfactory. When the 
church voted, in 1805, that the clerk should make a catalogue 
of the names of members, he was also instructed " to record 
the old Deacons first ; " and these seem to have been Jesse 
Cristy and Robert White. And the young deacons we may sup- 
pose to have been those chosen by the town Nov. 11, 1805, only 
a part of whom ever served. There is no record to show that 
any were ever consecrated to the holy office by any appropriate 
religious ceremony ; yet it is remembered by some aged persons 
to have been done. Nine years after Mr. Bradford's ordination 
the elders were Robert Patterson, Jr., Wm. McNeil, Thomas 
Cochran, Thomas Smith, Joseph Cochran, Robert Crombie, and 
Robert Clark. As several of these were not chosen by the town 
in 1805, it is reasonable to suppose that the church disregarded 
the action of the town, and chose their own deacons, as there is 
no evidence that the town ever afterwards interfered with the 
officers of the church. At first the Presbyterianism of the 
church seems of a doubtful character, — a mixture of Presby- 
terianism and Congregationalism. Gradually it became more 
distinctive, though never rigid. 

To prepare himself more effectually to labor for the good of 
his people, Mr. Bradford purchased a small farm upon one of 
the loftiest hills in New Boston, now known as " Bradford's 
Hill," whence he could survey vast regions of country, and, 
witness such glorious risings and settings of the sun as are 
seen from but few localities. Here he provided a home, and, 
Sept. 1, 1806, married Miss Mary Manning, daughter of Dea. 
Ephraim Barker, of Amherst, with whom he lived here nearly 
forty years, greatly given to hospitality, with a growing family, 
loving his people, and greatly beloved by them. His labors 
were highly profitable to his people, and the church received 
additions from time to time. No considerable revival seems to 



124 



have been enjoyed until some nine years after his ordination,, 
when some forty persons were added to the church ; in 1826, 
some twenty or thirty were added, and in 1831 and 1835 a 
wide-spread religious interest existed, when nearly a hundred 
persons were received to the church. But while his labors 
were greatly blessed to the salvation of his flock, Mr. Bradford, 
like other good men, had his trials. His salary proved insuffi- 
cient for the support of his family and the extension of hospi- 
tality to the many claimants. In 1819, the town increased his 
salary to six hundred dollars. In some instances he was re- 
lieved by generous donations of money from his people, and 
thus he was able to turn away from more tempting fields and 
larger salaries often tendered him. His people considered him 
a poor financier because he did not grow rich on his salary, and 
were pleased to think he was careless about his pecuniary mat- 
ters. Most people would have deemed this a defect. But the 
people of New Boston looked upon it as a great excellence, 
and enjoyed repeating anecdotes respecting his habits of care- 
lessness, and frequently took great pleasure in relieving his 
embarrassments. We have reason to believe most of these 
anecdotes are apocryphal. Mr. Bradford was a man of great 
good sense ; he understood human nature far better than most 
men, and he had been reared to habits of economy on a farm 
during his minority. He may sometimes have been forgetful 
and seemingly oblivious in some financial matters. But we 
doubt if many men to whom he preached could, with his 
income, rear so large a family as Mr. Bradford's, and so effect- 
ually, and maintain such a reputation for generous hospitality, 
without embarrassments equal or greater than he realized. The 
minister who, in such a location as New Boston, could live, — 
could keep soul and body together, — and feed, clothe, and ed- 
ucate a family of ten children, and keep such a " free tavern " 
as his people would think ought to be kept, on a salary of six 
hundred dollars a year, must have been the greatest financier 
the world ever saw. All anecdotes told with such good nature 
of his obliviousness to worldly interests, strangely conflict with 
the fearful burden that often well-nigh crushed that generous 
heart, and cast down that lofty mind. The people saw a shin- 
ing face, but saw not the corroding cares and dispiriting fore- 



125 



bodings which were within, and which no man of his sensibili- 
ties could avoid. He endured without complaint, and kept up 
appearances of competence and satisfaction, that his people 
might enjoy the pleasure of believing that their minister was 
well cared for, and their reputation was safe ; while his noble 
wife bore her full share of sacrifice and labor, and by prudence 
and skill contrived to perpetuate the barrel of meal and the 
cruse of oil. 

One of the most interesting events in Mr. Bradford's history 
occurred in the year 1823. The meeting-house, built in 1767 
and 1768, had " waxed old." It stood in a bleak place, and 
was never furnished with means of warming. In 1769, the 
town built a " session-house," near the meeting-house. This 
was a small building, of one room, furnished with a large fire- 
place ; and here in cold weather many resorted to warm them- 
selves at the close of the morning services, and from that 
glowing fire coals were removed to the foot-stoves which ren- 
dered their stay in the tireless meeting-house endurable to the 
female portion of the congregation. Not a few went further 
than the session-house, to Capt. John McLaughlen's tavern, 
where they warmed the inner as well as the outer man, and 
often lingered longer than became devout worshippers — longer 
than the proprieties of the sanctuary justified. And good Mr. 
Moor often complained that they could spend two hours at John 
McLaughlen's easier than one under his preaching. And, 
though Mr. Bradford was less annoyed, because of changes that 
had taken place, yet with all the hallowed associations cluster- 
ing around the old house, he looked forward with lively interest 
to the time when a new temple on an improved plan should be 
reared for the honor of Christ. The town refusing to build a 
meeting-house, individuals undertook the enterprise. Agreea- 
bly to a call of Joseph Cochran, Jr., at the request of others, a 
meeting was convened at the meeting-house, October 24, 1822. 
The call for this meeting thus sets forth the necessity of the 
movement : — 

" The undersigned is desired to give public notice that a number of respect- 
able citizens in this town have taken into serious consideration the very 
inconvenient situation of the Presbyterian meeting-house, the rapid decay of 
the house itself, and the inexpediency of expending a sum in repairing it, 



126 



which would make it comfortable and decent as a place of public worship, 
even for a few years ; that while they are convinced that extravagant expense 
in the erection and support of an earthly sanctuary would be neither pleasing 
to God nor useful to the cause of religion, they are no less convinced that it 
is their duty to contribute to the building of a house for divine worship which 
may embrace the advantages of commodious situation, decency of appearance, 
and protection from the inclemency of the seasons." 

This meeting was large and harmonious. " Mr. Bradford 
delivered a discourse," says the record, " suited to the occa- 
sion ; " and then it was organized by the choice of Rev. B. P. 
Bradford, Moderator, and Robert Wason, Scribe. Here it was 
" Voted, unanimously, to build a meeting-house ; " and Capt. 
John Cochran, John Crombie, Samuel Gregg, Esq., John Fair- 
field, Esq., Dea. Thomas Smith, Moses Cristy, Samuel Dodge, 
Esq., Dea. Thomas Cochran, Dea. Robert Clark, and Robert 
Wason, were appointed a committee " to look out a suitable 
piece of ground to set it on, and to make some estimate of the 
probable expense." " The following persons agreed to become 
undertakers in building a new meeting-house, viz : Robert 
Wason, Andrew Beard, James Sloan, James Cochran, 3d, John 
Linch, William Clark, Peter McNeil, Joseph Cochran, Jr., 
Joseph Leach, John Dalton, Thomas Smith, John Cochran, Jr., 
John Crombie, Luther Richards, John Fairfield, Samuel Dodge, 
Jonathan Marden, Peter Cochran, Jr., Moses Cristy, John 
Lamson, Thomas Campbell, Francis Peabody, Asa Lamson, 
Robert Clark, John Gage, Clark Crombie, James Moor, Joseph 
Cochran, Nathan Merrill, Hiram Perkins, Jacob Hooper, Jr., 
Greenough Marden, Francis Lynch." 

These gentlemen organized themselves into an association to 
be known as " Proprietors for building a new Presbyterian 
Meeting-house in New Boston." Dea. Robert Wason was 
chosen Moderator ; Joseph Cochran, Jr., Clerk ; and Dea. Rob- 
ert Clark, Treasurer. Being a joint stock company, they voted 
that it should consist of one hundred shares, and each share 
should be entitled to one vote. John Crombie, Samuel Dodge, 
Esq., and Thomas Campbell were appointed a committee to 
present plans for the house ; and John Crombie, Dea. Thomas 
Smith, Jacob Hooper, Jr., Capt. John Cochran, and Dea. Rob- 
ert Wason were appointed a committee to purchase a building 



127 



lot, and take the deed. After examining several lots, and 
receiving many propositions, the committee purchased two 
acres of land of Mr. Ammi Dodge, for $420. The plan pre- 
sented by the committee and adopted, was as follows as to 
dimensions, viz : — " The body of the House to be 60 feet 
square, with a projection of 5|- feet by 36 ; the Post of the 
house to be 30 feet long." Jacob Hooper, Jr., Samuel Dodge, 
Esq., and Lt. John Lamson were appointed a committee " to 
superintend the stone work, the procuring the Lime and Mason 
work ; " while John Crombie, Dea. Robert Wason, and Joseph 
Cochran, Jr. were the committee "to superintend the building 
of the House." Mr. John Leach was employed by the commit- 
tee to build the House for the proprietors. 

The meetings of the proprietors were held in the hall of Mr. 
James Sloan, and were characterized for great harmony and 
dignity, and the work was urged forward with great earnest- 
ness, and the frame was raised in June, 1823, men being 
boarded at the expense of the proprietors ; and one barrel of 
West India rum, three gallons of brandy, and a half-box of 
lemons being provided for the occasion ; but it was wisely 
" Voted, that Dea. Robert Clark, Capt. John Cochran, and 
Luther Richards be a committee to superintend the spirit on 
raising days, and that no persons be treated but Proprietors and 
Raisers ; " while an efficient committee were authorized " to 
keep the Common round the meeting-house clear of boys and 
spectators." The frame was raised without any serious acci- 
dent, and the structure was completed by the first of the 
following December, to the entire satisfaction of the proprietors, 
as appears from the following vote, passed Dec. 22, 1823 : — 
" Voted unanimously, that the Superintending Committee com- 
municate to Mr. John Leach the thanks of the Proprietors of 
the new Presbyterian Meeting-house, for the manly deportment 
and gentlemanly manner in which he and the young men 
employed by him have treated them while employed in building 
and finishing said house ; and to Mr. Leach for the elegance, 
taste, and good workmanship manner in which he has finished 
the same." No wonder the proprietors were treated respect- 
fully by the workmen, and that the work was well done ; for 
the committee who superintended the work and the proprietors 



128 



were noble, princely men. They treated the workmen gentle- 
manly ; they knew when the work was done well, and were 
willing to give an honorable compensation. They had large 
hearts, — did things on a generous scale ; and when their house 
was finished they " saw that it was good," and it did not repent 
them that they had reared a temple for God's worship, which 
was surpassed by no other similar structure in the State for 
symmetry of proportion, elegance of finish, and liberal expend- 
iture. The house to-day, after the lapse of forty years, without 
change and without repair, is a grand monument to the great 
and good men that reared it, and proves that no mean race 
inhabited these hills and worshipped at these altars. On the 
4th of December, 1823, the pews were sold, after reserving one 
for the minister's family and three for the poor, for the sum of 
$6,721.75 ; more than enough to defray all the expenses of the 
house. Out of the surplus, $300 were appropriated towards 
the purchase of a bell, and the remainder was devoted to the 
procuring " communion tables and other articles necessary for 
the same." Thus the anticipations of the proprietors were 
more than realized. One hundred and three pews were sold ; 
the greatest sum paid for one pew was $154, by Mr. John 
Crombie ; and the lowest, $20, it being in the gallery. 

At a meeting of proprietors, Oct. 13, 1823, it was voted that 
the Rev. E. P. Bradford preach the sermon of dedication ; and 
Nov. 15, it was voted that the meeting-house be dedicated Dec. 
25 ; and Joseph Cochran, Jr., Dr. John Dalton, Dea. E. 
TVason, Col. Samuel Dane, and Lt. John Lainson were appointed 
" Marshals of the day," and all neighboring clergymen and 
churches were invited to be present. The day came, with its 
blue sky above and its snow carpet beneath. The house was 
crowded to its utmost capacity, and Mr. Bradford preached one 
of his most glowing discourses from the text, 2 Chron. vi. 41 : 
" Now therefore arise, Lord God, into thy resting-place, thou 
and the ark of thy strength ; let thy priests, Lord God, be 
clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness." 
And the congregation dispersed, not weeping that their second 
temple was inferior to their first, but rejoicing in its far greater 
glory. 

It is not a little singular that, after suffering so much from 







i-n 



*£?(M -'"'"' '.fjut. 1 , ■'-t: 



|' ; 'V;;^v" 




Bufforfi [.ilhu^rapliv liu 



PRESBYTERIAN MEETING HOUSE. 



129 



the cold in the old house, they should fail to warm the new ; 
yet no means were provided until 1835. 

The congregation had taken leave of the old house with 
appropriate services, Mr. Bradford preaching an affecting ser- 
mon from text, Matt. iv. 20 : " Our fathers worshipped in this 
mountain." 

In 1839, the town refused to assess and collect the taxes of 
those who desired to pay the salary of Mr. Bradford, as had 
been done since his settlement. But a society was organized, 
March 21, 1839, consisting of one hundred and sixteen mem- 
bers. The salary was at once assumed by the society, and 
cheerfully and promptly paid ; and the pastor had a fresh 
evidence of the strength of the attachment of his people, and 
he " thanked God and took courage." Subsequent years 
passed amid evident tokens of Divine favor. The congregation 
was large, and the church was composed of liberal-minded 
persons, not captious and fault-finding, but willing that their 
minister should give utterance to what he believed to be the 
teachings of God's Word. Mr. Bradford was a decided Whig, 
while a majority of his hearers belonged to the Republican 
party. And though warm discussions often took place between 
him and them, no alienation of feeling was suffered, and no 
disaffection was occasioned by his being repeatedly chosen Mod- 
erator at the annual meetings of the town, nor by his election 
to other important offices. 

In 1826, the elders of the church were Robert Patterson, 
Thomas Cochran, Joseph Cochran, Robert Crombie, Isaac Pea- 
body, Robert Wason, Peter McNeil, Elzaphan Dodge, Marshall 
Adams. 

In 1850, the elders were Thomas Cochran, Thomas Smith, 
Samuel Dane, Abraham Cochran, S. L. Cristy, and Marshall 
Adams. 

To the last year of Mr. Bradford's ministry, his health was 
firm. Sickness interrupted his public services not more than 
five or six Sabbaths for a period of thirty-nine years. During 
the last year of his life, he was admonished by a sickness in the 
early part of it, that his days might soon be numbered. " His 
last illness was short, a severe cold, terminating in croup," of 
which he died Dec. 14, 1845, being almost seventy years old, 

17 



130 

after a ministry of nearly forty years, his birth being Dec. 27, 
1776, and his ordination Feb. 26, 1806. 

"After Mr. Bradford's settlement in the ministry," says the 
Rev. Dr. Whitoii> " he rose rapidly into distinction. Few men 
in the State were equally acceptable in the desk. In the con- 
troversy relative to Dartmouth College, from 1815 to 1819, he 
was one of a committee of three, appointed by the legislature 
to investigate its condition. A vacancy occurring in the pres- 
idency of the college, his was among the names before the 
public as candidates for the office." 

The publications of Mr. Bradford are few ; an address before 
the Handellian Musical Society ; an Election Sermon before the 
Legislature of the State ; a Discourse before the People of Fran- 
cestown, commemorative of the character of Rev. Moses 
Bradford, and a Sermon at the funeral of Rev. Dr. Harris, of 
Dunbarton." 

Mr. Bradford had a commanding person, a rich voice, com- 
bined with a high order of intellect and great suavity of man- 
ners. He had the faculty of making people feel ivell, and to 
believe that he highly esteemed them. And this love for them 
begat love towards himself. Every crumb of bread was sweet, 
wherever eaten, and every home and every locality was pleas- 
ant and attractive. And thus he was welcomed at every door 
by gladdened hearts ; not that some spirits never chafed and 
found fault, and became alienated, but to an unusual degree he 
bound all reasonable men to his heart, and met their highest 
conceptions of ministerial and Christian excellence. 

Mr. Bradford was a fine classical scholar ; he read much, and 
in conversation drew from rich stores, which a retentive mem- 
ory always commanded. His fund of wit and anecdotes, and 
elegant historic and classic allusions, seemed never exhausted. 
Able readily to read character and motives, he seemed always 
prepared for all occasions, and to meet all persons, knowing 
how to order his conversation aright. With a heart always 
expanding with the mountain ah' he inhaled, watching from his 
" tent door" the ever-varying aspects of nature, and brought 
into Contact with gigantic minds within the circle of his min- 
isterial exchanges, we may well believe his expositions of Scrip- 
ture were rich and varied : and that few men have ever excel- 




J.Ouffori's Uth. 



J(M J3^ac^^z^ 



131 

led him in pulpit services. Eev. Dr. Aiken, once pastor of the 
Congregational Church in Amherst, and later pastor of Park 
Street Church, Boston, remarks, " Mr. Bradford was literally 
one of nature's noblemen ; of princely person, with a sonorous, 
commanding voice, exceedingly fluent and accurate in speech, 
modelled somewhat after Johnson's style ; so richly gifted in 
mind and heart, that, with little preparation for his Sabbath 
services, he stood among the first preachers in the State. I 
have often thought that, if Ephraim P. Bradford had given his 
mind thoroughly to the study and delivery of sermons, he 
might have stood, in the ministry of this country, where Robert 
Hall stands in that of England." 

It is not strange that the people of New Boston became proud 
of their minister, since he gave character to them, and dis- 
tinction to the whole town. Had the providence of God cast 
his lot amid incentives to intellectual greatness, he would 
doubtless have shone as one of the great lights in the galaxy of 
great men in the church. As it was, he made his mark, and 
blessed a generation and more, who grew up under his min- 
istry, by inspiring in them a laudable ambition to excel in vari- 
ous departments of activity. 

Mr. Bradford was greatly aided in his ministry by her who 
still survives him as his widow, at the venerable age of seventy- 
eight years. It not unfrequently transpires that a minister's 
success is as much attributable to the good sense and holy in- 
fluence of his wife, as to his own endeavors, though the, credit 
may never be given her. Mrs. Bradford had twelve children, 
ten of whom survived their father, two dying in childhood of 
spotted fever, during the prevalence of that disease in New 
Boston, 1814. Always limited in her resources, she made what 
she had to contribute to the comfort of the household, while she 
arranged for generous hospitality. She relieved her husband of 
all care for the interior of the house, and of much anxiety for 
that which was without. His comfort and usefulness were 
always first consulted, and by her good sense and sound judg- 
ment she was able to safely counsel and encourage the heart of 
her husband. " Many daughters have done virtuously," but 
Mrs. Bradford excelled not a few, in her calm and dignified 
deportment ; in her patient endurance of hardship ; in her care 



132 



fulness for her household, and the happiness and success of her 
husband as a minister of Christ. " The heart of her husband 
did safely trust in her, and he did often praise her." And her 
children now " rise up and call her blessed." With such a 
wife, Mr. Bradford could not fail to be happy in his home ; and 
it was here, as well as among his people, that he found incen- 
tives to piety, and consecration to his Master's service. Relig- 
iously inclined from his early youth, his life was eminently free 
from defects ; his piety was cheerful, yet humble and consistent. 
And, as years multiplied, there was evident maturing for his 
heavenly rest ; and, when the summons was heard, he bowed 
his head and gave up the ghost, leaning on the Staff, leaving 
behind him precious recollections and influences that are yet 
blessing the church and the world. 

In the southern and highest part of the cemetery overlooking 
the congregation of the d.ead, many of whom he followed to their 
resting-place during his protracted ministry, an affectionate 
people buried their beloved pastor, and reared a beautiful mar- 
ble monument bearing the following inscription : — 

In memory of Rev. Ephraim Putnam Bradford, born December 27, 1776. 
Graduated at Harvard College, 1803. Ordained February 26, 1806. Died 
December 14, 1845, aged 69. Pastor of the First Presbyterian Society, New 
Boston, 40 years. 

Piissimus, doctissimus, fortissimus et lamentissi?nns, in populorum suorum 
amoribus semper vivit. 

Erected" by subscription of individuals, as a token of respect to their late 
beloved pastor. 

Mr. Bradford's children are : James Barker, born July 6, 
1807, and died of spotted fever, April 20, 1814 ; Sarah Putnam, 
born Feb. 9, 1809, and died of spotted fever, May 19, 1814 ; 
William Symonds, born Oct. 2, 1810 ; Anstis Whiting, born 
June 8, 1812; Ephraim Putnam, born Feb. 7, 1814; John, 
born October, 1815 ; Mary Means, born May 18, 1817 ; Robert 
Clark, born April 25, 1819, and died at Milwaukee, Wis., March 
20, 1852, and was buried at Detroit, Mich. ; James Barker, 
born April 2, 1822 ; Joseph Town, born March 5, 1824 ; Ann 
Barker, born Sept. 20, 1826 ; Henry Dalton, born Oct. 5, 1829, 
and died at Detroit, Mich., Jan. 18, 1848, aged 18. 



133 



William Symonds early enlisted in the United States army, 
served through the Florida and Mexican wars, and rose to the 
rank of a first lieutenant, and was breveted for gallant conduct 
in Mexico, being the first to raise the American flag on the 
battlements of Cero Gordo. Becoming disabled, the Thirty-fifth 
Congress settled a pension for life upon him, for meritorious ser- 
vices. He spent some years in the hospital at Harodsburg, 
Ky., and died at Louisville, June, 1863, aged nearly 53 years. 
His remains lie by the side of his venerated father. 

Anstis Whiting became the wife of Waterman Burr, Esq., a 
successful merchant of New Boston ; and their children are 
Bphraim Bradford and Emma Lowe, having buried three in 
early childhood. John is married, and resides in Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin, connected with his brothers' in an extensive mercan- 
tile business. 

Mary Means became the wife of Robert Cochran, Esq., Oct. 
17, 1844, and they live in Gallatin, Mississippi, having two 
children, Henry Bradford and Letitia Clark. 

James B. and Joseph T. are both married, and reside in 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Surrounded by her sons, and with her daughter, Ann Barker, 
Mrs. Bradford, is passing her old age amid comforts, enjoying 
christian acquaintances, waiting cheerfully her appointed time, 
having always the prayers of the people for whom she and her 
husband so many years labored in the Lord. Mrs. Bradford 
was born Oct. 9, 1785 ; being 78 years old in October, 1863. 

In March, 1846, following the death of Mr. Bradford, which 
transpired December 14, 1845, the services of Rev. E. M. Kel- 
logg were secured, and he received a unanimous call from the 
church and congregation, May 5, 1846, with a salary of six 
hundred dollars. This call was accepted, and Mr. Kellogg was 
installed pastor June 25, 1846, and was dismissed in April, 
1852. 

Soon after the dismissal of Mr. Kellogg, the Rev. Alanson 
Rawson was employed, and received a call to settle. The call 
was accepted, but subsequently declined because of ill health, 
though he supplied the pulpit about two years. 

In June, 1855, Rev. E. C. Cogswell, the present pastor, 



134 

commenced his labors here, and was installed by the London- 
derry presbytery October 30, 1855. 

The church numbers one hundred and sis communicants, 
and the eldership consists of Samuel Dane, Marshall Adams, 
Sumner L. Cristy, and John N. Dodge. A precious work of 
grace has been silently progressing in the congregation to the 
present time, May, 1864, since the Centennial, in July, 1863, 
which it is believed will greatly encourage and strengthen the 
church in which have been reared so many excellent men and 
women, not only to bless the town, but to strengthen other 
churches. 



EEY. EDWAED BUXTON. 



He was son of Capt. Benjamin Buxton. He was born Aug. 
17, 1803, and was educated with pious care at home and in 
the district school. Having great desire for knowledge, he 
became an excellent English scholar, and made no ordinary 
progress in the classics, with little aid from any teacher. He 
studied medicine with Dr. John Dalton, of New Boston, Dr. 
James Crombie, of Francestown, and Dr. Edmund Buxton, of 
Warren, Me., and taught many schools, district and select. 

At length he felt constrained to turn his attention to the 
study of theology, and placed himself under the instruction of 
Rev. Samuel W. Clark, of Greenland, and was ordained as an 
evangelist, April 19, 1836, and installed pastor of the Second 
Congregational Church of Boscawen, in that part of the town 
now known as Webster, December 13, 1837 ; the pastoral 
charge of which he still retains. 

Mr. Buxton married Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Asa McFar- 
land, D. D., of Concord, June 12, 1838. Mrs. B. died Sept. 
11, 1812, leaving two children : Elizabeth M., who was born 
April 2, 1830, graduated at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, 
and is a christian lady and a successful teacher; and Edward, 
who was born May 25, 1811, and died Dec. 6, 1814, evincing 
much evidence of piety, even at that early age. 

Mr. Buxton married Lois, daughter of Jacob Jewett,Esq., of 
Gilford, Sept. 27, 1813, for his second wife, and they have an 
adopted son, Edward B., born Nov. 2, 1845, giving promise of 
usefulness as a christian. Few pastors have been more suc- 
cessful, or commanded more the respect and affection of their 
flocks, than Mr. Buxton ; though his estimate of himself is 
very humble, and perhaps will be pained by even this truthful 
assertion. 

Mr. Buxton was present on the Centennial occasion, and 
added much to the interest of it. 




*W\ vf 




IHBufTorO-'s Ufa 



-t/Vi> /1a£A*]/( ^^^- -W 




RESPONSE OF REV. EDWARD BUXTON. 



Rev. Ephraim P. Bradford, — whose mantle, if dropped, few would dare take. 

Mr. President, — 

To equal the theme on which I am expected briefly to speak, 
would require for my feeble pinions too adventurous a flight. 
This sentiment revives in my heart the feelings with which, fifty 
years ago, I learned to regard the Rev. Ephraim P. Bradford, 
who then endeared himself to me by acts of paternal kindness, 
and from that period, through the struggles of my childhood 
and youth, stood by me as a faithful and sympathizing friend. 
I love to cherish those feelings of deep veneration through 
which I must ever contemplate the character and influence of 
that excellent man. While I summon up my early recollections 
of him, his manly form rises before me, with his wonted cour- 
teousness of manners, his noble bearing, and his open counte- 
nance beaming with the social and benevolent affections which 
ever came welling up from the depths of his generous heart. 
I catch the inspiration of his voice, ever powerful and finely 
modulated, whether in conversation or in public discourse. 
Though the places which once knew him will know him no 
more forever, yet with those places where we were most accus- 
tomed to see him, and where we received our deepest and most 
sacred impressions of him, he is in our minds inseparably asso- 
ciated. Some of us can, in imagination, reoccupy the old meet- 
ing-house, on some seat in its large, square, unpainted pews, in 
the midst of a congregation the elders of which now slumber 
with their beloved pastor in the adjacent cemetery. Still, as I 
revisit those Sabbath scenes of my early recollection, he rises 
up before me in the pulpit of olden style, under the quaint 
and, for him, needless sounding-board, and, as few have the 
ability to do, carries with him his audience in prayer and praise, 

18 



138 



in testifying repentance towards God, and faith towards our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and in vindicating the doctrines of our holy 
religion. Again, I meet him at the week-day gathering, in the 
school-house or a private dwelling, where he could, with rare 
ability and effect, extemporize on the great themes of the gos- 
pel. Again, let us go with him to the house of mourning, 
where he poured out his heart in solemn discourse, and most 
affectionately and appropriately addresses himself to the several 
members of the mourning circle. Again, let us enter his 
hospitable mansion, where we were all so cordially welcomed 
that we severally felt we enjoyed a particular interest in his 
pastoral regard. I love to think of him as, with meditative 
and uplifted countenance, he leisurely rode through the town, 
recognized at a glance and with pleasure wherever he went, 
and with no surprise, if the truth were ever so conspicuous, that 
he did not think to put on his better coat before he left home. 
His ministerial work he pursued in a forgetfulness of him- 
self, and through the manifestations of this fact we were the 
more sensible of those traits of his character by which he was 
greatly endeared to us. His religion was not gloomy and forbid- 
ding. He was a pleasant man. He had a vein from which he 
could put forth as much keen wit and good humor, and as aptly 
point a satirical remark, as any man. But he never opened 
this vein unseasonably. He habitually paid a strict regard to 
the injunction, " Let your speech be always with grace, sea- 
soned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer 
every man." He was a literary man, and thirsted for intercourse 
with literary society, and still was happy in accommodating 
himself to all classes of persons, in the spirit with which the 
apostle says, " To the weak became I as weak, that I might 
gain the weak ; I am made all things to all men, that I might 
by all means save some." He made himself as much at home 
in the lowliest cottage as when he was felt to be primus inter 
pares in the society of his ministerial brethren. His spirit was 
eminently catholic. From the benevolence of his heart he was 
a friend to everybody, and, from the charity which " seeketh 
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil," he em- 
braced the whole household of faith in whom he discovered 
evidence that they loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. 



139 



He was constituted — physically, mentally, and morally — for 
exerting a controlling influence. Even those who were the 
most disposed to glory in feats of physical violence, stood in 
awe of him. This may be illustrated by an. occurrence in the 
early part of his ministry. Having preached a lecture in a part 
of the town somewhat distinguished for the pugnacious dis- 
position of the people, as he came out of the house, an affray 
took place, in which one of their fighters, having prostrated an- 
other and seized him by the throat, was forcing streams of blood 
from his nostrils. He immediately rushed forward into the 
scene of contention, and with one hand patted the prevailing 
combatant on the shoulder, saying pleasantly to him, " Don't 
kill the man! don't kill the man!" while with the other 
hand he broke his hold from the throat of the prostrated man, 
and then separated them, and held them apart till they promis- 
ed for the present to keep the peace. By that transaction, he 
gained the reputation, in that section, of being, not a pug- 
nacious, but a powerful, kind-hearted, and fearless man. His 
influence was not superficial and transitory. He was raised up 
by divine providence and grace, for laying the foundations of 
morality, religion, and mental culture deep in the mind and 
heart of the rising community in which he was established, and 
in which, during a period of more than forty years, lie prosecuted 
his labors in the gospel ministry. In our centennial review of 
this community, our minds are thrown back still further than 
the period of its incorporation, to its germ, which was planted 
in the families with which it commenced, a hundred and thirty 
years ago. How important the elements of physical, intel- 
lectual, and moral character, which then began to take root in 
it, and to spread out their influence through its successive gen- 
erations. What matter of grateful praise to God it is, that 
early the principles and spirit of sound morality, evangelical 
religion, and of true christian patriotism were planted and 
became predominant in it. With an honest pride we call to 
remembrance the families that have passed away, having trans- 
mitted to us the elements of character and the spirit with which 
we are assembled on this joyous, sacred, and solemn occasion. 
With a just appreciation of this precious inheritance on this 
birthday of our national independence, we must feel the solemn 



140 



responsibilities and obligations "which are pressing upon us. 
We must forecast the consequences of our present position and 
influence, and what inheritance we shall transmit to our pos- 
terity, who shall observe our next centennial celebration. While 
I am anxiously inquiring for the future, — and " coming events 
cast their shadows before," — I hear voices from the past. A 
congregation rises up around me, in which I see the familiar 
countenances of our venerated fathers. They speak anxiously 
of our national concerns, and of the national inheritance which 
they hoped to transmit to many generations of their posterity. 
In regard to this inheritance, they admonish us of our duty. 
Among them I discover the venerable form of our dear old 
pastor and friend. He seems with great affection to look upon 
us, and in the words of the apostle Paul to say, " God is my 
record : how greatly I long after you in the bowels of Jesus 
Christ." He reminds us of the glorious gospel of the blessed 
God, which he preached to us as the perfect law of liberty. He 
says to us, " If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the 
righteous do ? " He assures us that the foundation of all 
which we should hold dear, as participators in this centennial 
celebration, and as American citizens, must be laid deep in our 
hearts by the spirit and principles of the Christian religion. But 
the dear man is gone. He has done with earth ; and, though 
we may not take his mantle, may we earnestly desire to have a 
double portion of his spirit. 



EEV. JOHN ATWOOD. 



He was born in Hudson, then Nottingham West, October 3, 
1795, where he united with the Baptist church at the age of 
twenty-one. Soon after, he began to study, with the ministry in 
view, under the instruction of Rev. Daniel Merrill. In May, 
1817, he entered the Literary and Theological Department of 
Waterville College, in which he remained five years, under the 
instruction of Rev. Dr. Chaplin. June 1, 1824, he began to 
labor with the Baptist church in New Boston, and was ordain- 
ed May 18, 1825, and married, Nov. 28, 1826, Lydia, eldest 
daughter of Dea. Solomon Dodge. Being dismissed from the 
church in New Boston as their pastor, after spending a short 
time in Francestown, he removed to Hillsborough, where he 
remained seven years. 

In 1843, Mr. Atwood was elected State Treasurer, which 
office he retained six years, a part of which time he served as 
chaplain to the State Prison. 

In 1850, Mr. Atwood returned to New Boston, where he still 
resides, occupying his time in cultivating his farm, and occa- 
sionally supplying churches destitute of pastors, enjoying the 
confidence and respect of the community, whom he has repre- 
sented in the legislature five years, viz., 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835 
and 1859. 

As a preacher, Mr. Atwood is evangelical and instructive, and 
as a pastor, faithful, affectionate and conciliatory ; and his min- 
istry in New Boston served greatly to enlarge and strengthen 
the church to which he ministered. He has always cordially 
sought to advance the cause of education, and to promote every 
enterprise that promised to benefit the community. And the 
Government and the Union find, in this hour of peril, in Mr. 
Atwood, an unwavering friend and supporter, planting no thorns 



142 



for the pillow of his declining years by neutrality or opposition 
to a just government. Courteous, hospitable, and generous, 
he binds to himself all good men, both as a christian gentleman 
and an upright citizen. 

Mr. Atwood's children are Lydia D., Sarah E., John B., 
Roger W., Ann J., Mary F., Solomon D., and John H. The 
latter and John B. died in infancy, Sarah E. married John L. 
Blair, and resides in Alton, 111. 

Ann J. became the wife of Rev. J. L. A. Fish, and resides in 
East Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, Mass. 

Solomon D. married Florence A. Dodge, of Francestown, and 
is of the firm, Joseph Whipple and Atwood, who have " Young 
America " combined with caution, and infuse great activity 
into their business. 



HISTOKY OF THE BAPTIST CHUECH. 



By Rev. John Atavood. 

From records which have been consulted reaching back about 
seventy-five years, it appears that the Baptist church in New 
Boston took its origin from one previously existing in Amherst, 
and entirely distinct from the present church in Amherst. The 
Amherst church was organized December 6, 1787, and consist- 
ed of persons residing in New Boston, and in those parts of 
Amherst which were subsequently formed into Mont-Vernon 
and Milford, few or none residing in what is now called Am- 
herst. In the course, however, of twelve years it had become 
so diminished in numbers as to afford little hope that the enter- 
prise would be permanently successful. In the mean time several 
persons in New Boston had made a public profession of religion, 
and united with the church in Weare. Rev. Mr. Elliot, of 
Mason, also baptized fourteen persons in the town, on the 4th 
of October, 1799, though at the time they united with no 
church. In view, therefore, of the number of Baptist profes- 
sors that were resident in New Boston, it was mutually agreed, 
by members of the church both in Amherst and New Boston, 
at a meeting holden at John Whipple's in New Boston, Nov. 
23, 1799, that the Amherst church should in future be known 
by the name of " The First Calvinistic Baptist Church in 
Amherst and New Boston.'" Whereupon, those persons who 
had lately been baptized, and those who had joined at Weare, 
united with this church, whose number was also increased, dur- 
ing the year 1800, by the addition of nineteen others. 

In the year 1801, Rev. Josiah Stone commenced his labors 
with this church, and, in this and the three succeeding years, 
fourteen persons were added to its fellowship. In 1804, the 
church, by advice of Council, took the name of" The Calvinistic 



144 



Baptist Church in New Boston." The same year the church 
agreed upon the erection of a meeting-house, which was com- 
pleted the year following. This house was located in the west- 
erly part of the town, three miles from the present place of 
worship. Its dimensions were forty feet by thirty-two, and one 
story high. 

During this year the church united with the Warren Associa- 
tion, with which it retained its connection until the formation 
of the Boston Association, when it fell within the limits of that 
body. The same year, also, Rev. Josiah Stone was installed 
as permanent pastor of the church. From this time to 1816, 
the number received into the fellowship of the church was 
twenty. At the expiration of this period, a case of discipline 
arose which resulted in the division of the church into two 
bodies, the one being retained in the Boston Association, the 
other uniting with the Salisbury. 

In June, 1824, Rev. Mr. Stone resigned the pastoral care of 
the church, but remained in the place until his decease, which 
occurred in 1839. 

Rev. John Atwood, then a licentiate, commenced his labors 
with this people on the first Lord's day in June, 1824. He was 
ordained the 18th of May, 1825, and closed his pastoral rela- 
tion the last Sabbath in January, 1836. During his ministry 
ninety-nine persons were added to the fellowship of the church. 

February 23, 1825, the two churches were dissolved, by mu- 
tual consent, and the members, forty-six in number, reorganized 
into one body, and united with the Salisbury Association. In 
1826 a pleasant revival of religion took place, in which thirteen 
were added to the church. In 1828 the church was dismissed 
from the Salisbury, and united with the Milford Association. 

A more central location for public worship being very desirable, 
in 1832 a meeting-house was erected in the lower village, and 
was dedicated to the worship of God on the 6th of February, 
1833. 

In 1835 a precious revival of religion was enjoyed, during 
which fifty-three persons were added to the church. 

In February, 1836, Rev. A. T. Foss became pastor of the 
church, which relation he continued to hold during eight years, 
till January, 1844. 



145 



On the first Sabbath in February, 1845, Rev. David Gage 
commenced his ministerial labors with this people, and contin- 
ued with them ten years, during which time sixty-four were 
added to the church. His pastorate closed in March, 1855. 

November 1, 1855, Rev. J. N. Chase began his permanent 
labors in the place ; was recognized as pastor December 19, 
1855, and dismissed May 1, 1859. 

Rev. Franklin Merriam succeeded him in the pastoral office, 
in May, 1859, and closed his labors in the place October 5, 1862. 

The pastorate is now filled by Rev. Thomas Clarkson Russell, 
who entered upon his labors with this church the first Sabbath 
in June, 1863. 

The most reliable statistics to be found, show that from the 
formation of the church in Amherst, in 1787, to the present 
time, two hundred and eleven persons have been added by bap- 
tism ; ninety-two have been received by letter from other 
churches ; seventy-three have been dismissed ; thirty-one ex- 
cluded ; and seventy-two have died. The present number, 
July, 1863, is seventy-six. 

19 



MINISTERIAL FUND. 



The grant of New Boston was given on condition that one 
sixty-third part of the township should be appropriated to the 
first-settled " learned and orthodox minister " for his encour- 
agement to settle in a new region of country, among a sparse 
population, unable to pay a full and adequate salary. Further 
to encourage and aid the people in maintaining the worship of 
God, it was required that another sixty-third part of said town- 
ship should be appropriated to the support of a " learned and 
orthodox ministry forever." And when the Masonian heirs 
increased the size of the town, they reserved a like proportion 
of the " Addition " for the same purposes. Thus lots num- 
bered 61 and 70, in the old limits, and 6, in the " New Addi- 
tion," weje appropriated to the first minister ; and lots 36, 123, 
and an unnumbered lot set off in a then unsurveyed portion of 
the town, were appropriated to the benefit of the ministry in 
perpetuity. 

When the Rev. Solomon Moor was settled as the first minis- 
ter of the town, he took possession of his lots, and disposed of 
them as he pleased. He also had the use of the " ministry 
lots," and whatever income he could derive therefrom until his 
death. 

When the Rev. Mr. Bradford was ordained, the town paid 
him what they deemed an adequate salary, and made him a 
donation of four hundred dollars, " reserving to the use of the 
town all ministerial rights and privileges," meaning the minis- 
try lots. It was known that Mr. Moor derived but little profit 
from them, and the town resolved that Mr. Bradford should 
not be embarrassed by them, and thought they might be made 
to yield a greater income, under different management. Ac- 
cordingly, in 1804, the town sold, or leased for nine hundred 



148 



and ninety-nine years, a portion of the ministry lands ; and 
subsequently, at different times, the remaining portions were 
in like manner disposed of to great advantage, being covered 
with valuable timber. The amount received for the ministry 
lands reached nearly seven thousand dollars, which the town 
denominated " the funded property for the ministry," and a 
special treasurer was chosen annually by the town, for many 
years, to have charge of this money, and to make an annual 
report, showing to whom loaned, and the income thereof. 

The grant of the town required, also, that another sixty-third 
part of the town be appropriated for the benefit of schools ; 
and these lands were in like manner disposed of, earlier than 
the ministry lots, and the amount received for them was much 
less than that for the ministry ; and the treasurer for " the 
funded property for the ministry " became the treasurer of 
both funds. William Clark was repeatedly elected to that 
office, and others were chosen after him. At length the care 
of these funds was devolved on the town treasurer, and he 
made a distinct report of their condition annually. Immedi- 
ately after the sale of the ministry lands, the Baptist church, 
first known as the " Calvinistic Baptist Church in New Boston," 
in 1804, claimed a part of the income ; and in August of 1805, 
agreeably to a recommendation of Livermore Langdell and 
Lieut. Samuel Gregg, it was " Voted, That the Baptists that were 
on their parish-book last March have their proportion, according 
to poll and estate, to the present year." Up to March 10,1807, 
all tax-payers were taxed for the support of the minister of the 
town, unless excused by special vote. At this time the town 
voted " to excuse those that in good faith belong to the Baptist 
Society, from paying taxes to the Rev. E. P. Bradford." Octo- 
ber following, the town voted " to raise annually five hundred 
dollars, including the interest on funded property, four hundred 
dollars of which to be paid to Mr. Bradford, and one hundred 
dollars to Josiah Stone ; and that this should continue during 
the ministry of Mr. Stone," then the pastor of the Baptist 
church. Owing to trouble in the church, the town subse- 
quently refused to appropriate any to the two Baptist societies, 
the original society having become divided into two. In 1823 
the town gave them thirty -five dollars ; and the following year 



149 



fifty dollars. At length the town voted to divide the income 
according to poll and estate tax ; every man saying which 
church he wished to sustain. And when at length a Univer- 
salist society was organized, they were allowed to have their 
proportion. Henceforward the income of the fund was divided 
between the three societies, in proportion to polls and estates of 
their respective adherents, until 1861, when the selectmen 
refused to make the annual division of the income of the minis- 
terial fund, except the interest on nine hundred dollars, affirm- 
ing that the rest of the fund had been lost by being absorbed 
in other funds of the town, so that evidences of the fund could 
be found only for nine hundred dollars ; and they affirmed 
that, according to decisions of the courts in similar cases, there 
was no law to oblige the town to pay it, and that to pay it was 
contrary to law, and would render it impossible to collect the 
taxes. At the annual meeting in 1862, the town, by a very 
large majority, instructed the selectmen to divide the income of 
the fund, as*in former years ; but they refused to obey instruc- 
tions, and none has been made, except on the nine hundred 
dollars which had not been absorbed. It is evident that certain 
men, who were not nursed at the breasts of New Boston moth- 
ers, and who have a chronic hatred of ministers and churches, 
had secretly sought to effect this at an earlier period than 1861. 
The town has never sanctioned, by vote, the repudiation, nor 
does any honest man deny that the income of the whole fund 
ought to be paid, though they may question if it can be legally 
done, under existing circumstances. The Presbyterian and 
Baptist societies have been embarrassed by this action ; but 
the descendants of the noble men who so highly prized the 
worship of God in his sanctuary, and realized the benefits 
of the gospel to the community, will prove equal to the exi- 
gency, and will not show themselves the degenerate sons of a 
godly ancestry. 

What remains of the school fund yields an income of some 
fifteen dollars annually ; the greater portion of it having been 
absorbed like the ministerial fund. 



JAMES CEOMBIE, ESQ. 



Mr. Crombie was born 1811, the third son of William Crom- 
bie, Esq., who removed from New Boston to Otsego, N. Y., 
about 1816, having at that time a wife, three sons, and five 
daughters, his wife being Betsey Fairfield, of New Boston. In 
1827, Mr. Crombie removed his family from Otsego to Oswego 
county, then a frontier region, where his son James for some 
years relied upon him as his teacher in* mathematics and higher 
English branches, subsequently fitting himself for college at 
Binghampton, Cazenovia, and Homer. But, in 1834, impaired 
health forbade the idea of a college course, and he turned his 
attention to the study of law, and was admitted to practice as 
attorney at Albany, and as solicitor in chancery at New York 
city, in October, 1837, and as counsellor at Rochester in 1811. 
He commenced the practice of law at Greene, Chenango county, 
in 1837, subsequently removing to Fulton, Oswego county, 
where he remained until 1850. After travelling in California 
for a while, in search of health, he purchased a plantation in 
Virginia. But having no sympathy with the institution of 
slavery, having partially recovered his health, and seeing the 
gathering storm, Mr. Crombie left the " sacred soil " of the 
Old Dominion, and resumed the practice of law in New York 
city, in 1854, where he now resides. 

At Greene, Chenango county, N. Y., Esquire Crombie was 
married to Miss C. Mary Beckwith, and has two sons, James F. 
and Charles B. 




■"^•, 



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BESPONSE OE JAMES CKOMBIE, ESQ. 



The People of New Boston. — Never safer than when they emulate the patriot- 
ism and godliness of the men and women who converted this wilderness into a fruitful 
field. 

Mr. President, — 

When called upon to respond to the sentiment just proposed, 
it occurred to me that, had you known how early in life I left 
New Boston, and what had been my history and the natural 
tendencies of my education since, you would have entertain- 
ed serious doubts as to my fitness for the task. It was my lot 
to leave New Boston in infancy, and to receive my education 
in a new section of the State of New York, under circum- 
stances and influences naturally calculated to crop out young 
American ideas and habits. In maturer life, I sojourned awhile 
among the golden mountains and ravines of California, at a 
time when godliness was exotic. Still later, I resided in 
Virginia, at a period when patriotism meant nothing more than 
attachment to the sacred soil and the divine institution of 
slavery. And, finally, I became a resident of the city of New 
York, when corporation financiers, and the democracy of the rab- 
ble, reigned triumphant. Knowing this history, you must have 
had unbounded confidence in natal and ante-natal influences, 
and in the power of parental instruction and example, to form 
the character, or you would have selected some other person 
for this subject, and this occasion. You have not, however, been 
mistaken in your estimate of the power of these influences in 
my case, however much you may have misjudged as to my 
capacity to do justice to the fervor of the patriotism and god- 
liness of the men and women who settled New Boston. 

I thank God, that neither education, nor residence, nor 
travel in other and different States, nor the. habits and institu- 
tions of other people, have made me forget the place of my 
20 



154 

birth, nor the virtues, principles, and piety that made our fore- 
fathers so preeminent. I can appreciate their love of country, 
their earnestness and constancy of purpose, their industry, in- 
telligence, and godliness, and the powerful influence that their 
character, customs, and example have exerted, not only on their 
own posterity, but upon the nation ; for wherever I have been, — 
in the settlements of the "West, in the cities and on the planta- 
tions of the South, and in the States that border the Pacific, — 
their posterity as travellers, settlers, teachers, and ministers, 
have carried with them the knowledge, refinement, literature, 
customs, and ideas of our fathers. 

Churches and school-houses of New England architecture, as 
well as ministers and teachers of New England ideas, are to be 
found in every city and State of the Union, or rather were to 
be found, before the present rebellion rendered certain localities 
dangerous ground for the expression of New England ideas. 

How eminently fitted to produce such a race of men and 
women, were these Eastern States ! An eminent writer has well 
said, that the character, civilization, and institutions of a people 
are mainly determined by their soil, food, and climate, and the 
general aspect of the country they inhabit. Had our forefathers 
found on these shores the rich alluvial soil of the South and 
West, producing, with little labor, far more than their wants 
demanded, and a malarious, enervating climate, what a change 
it would have made in their destiny, and that of their race ! 
How different would have been their energy, character, and in- 
stitutions, and their influence upon their own and succeed- 
ing ages ! Fortunately, however, they found these hills and 
mountains covered with rocks and forests, almost defying the 
energy of man. They saw at a glance what years of toil and 
patience it would require to settle and subdue so rugged a 
region. The very effort necessary to form a resolution to set- 
tle and cultivate it, tended to give them purpose and energy of 
character. How much more the execution of such a resolution ! 
Again, they found a soil by no means productive, after all the 
toil and privation of settlement. They must have seen that it 
would return hardly an adequate compensation for the toil of 
cultivation. The climate, too, was cold and bracing, — long 
winters consumed all that the summers produced. 



155 

With such a soil and climate, and such a rugged, hilly coun- 
try, they had to add patience to toil, and godliness to patience, 
to render life endurable ; and God gave them grace equal to 
the severity of their condition. 

Their very condition of toil and hardship made them thought- 
ful, earnest, sober, and godly men. They had no time to trifle. 
The realities and necessities of life were upon them, demanding 
constant prudence, forecast, and effort. With such cares, re- 
sponsibilities, and duties upon them, to meet the exigences of 
their life, it is no wonder they prayerfully considered and prop- 
erly valued all that pertains to the life to come. But when 
these hills and mountains were cleared and cultivated, and cov- 
ered with waving grain and green grass, how changed the 
scene became ! Mountains and hills of every possible contour 
lifting their heads above the clouds, and stretching their green 
slopes to the valleys and rivers below, ravines and undula- 
tions affording constant changes of sunlight and shade ; stream- 
lets gushing out from hillside and dell, and winding their way 
down to the rivers that gladdened and fertilized the valleys ; 
prospects of surpassing beauty and grandeur met them, which- 
ever way they turned. How could they help loving such a 
country, after having bestowed so much of energy and life 
upon it ? The inhabitants of hilly and mountainous countries 
are proverbially patriotic the world over — especially where the 
soil is not over productive. The beauty and grandeur of the 
scenery, and the toil and cost of settlement and cultivation, con- 
spire to render them so. 

But the patriotism of our fathers was of no narrow, sectional 
kind. It embraced the whole nation. 

Was any Southern city visited with plague ; was any portion 
of the nation suffering from flood or famine ; was any part igno- 
rant, and without the means of education and improvement, — 
our fathers were ever ready, with sympathy and material aid, to 
assist and alleviate. They never inculcated sectional sym- 
pathies and interests, nor the doctrine of the right of disintegra- 
tion and secession. 

But it is said, in certain quarters, that the principles and 
ideas they taught, and the institutions they founded, have 
become dangerous to the peace and welfare of other portions of 



156 



the nation ; that they have become like bombshells thrown into 
a highly-ignitable city, destructive and consuming. It has also 
been said that their ideas, principles, and institutions were more 
belligerent, and more to be feared, in a time of peace, than we, 
their descendants, in a time of war ; that we were preemi- 
nently a people of progressive and disturbing ideas and isms, 
which we would be ready to abandon on the battle-field. 

Well, the time has come to test the truth or fallacy of these 
charges. Already, we find one portion of the country has had 
quite enough of our ideas, and of our warlike spirit on the 
battle-field, and are appealing to another portion to assist in 
turning us out, and confining us to these our native hills, here 
to droop and die. We can afford to bide our time ; for, whether 
in or out of the Union ; whether we are confined to these hills, 
or .have free range over this broad continent, one nation and 
one people, time will prove that the principles of liberty, the 
patriotism and godliness which our fathers fostered and ripened 
amid the free air of these hills, are as imperishable as their 
race. Allow me, in conclusion, to extend the sentiment pro- 
posed : — 

The people of New Boston and the woeld, never safer than 
when they emulate the patriotism and godliness of the men 
and women who converted this wilderness into a faithful field. 



SCHOOLS. 



The facilities for educating their children were not equal to 
the desires of the first settlers ; but such as they had, they im- 
proved. Until the town was incorporated, all instruction was 
given by teachers employed by individuals, while those who 
were able sent their children for a few months to Londonderry, 
or other places where schools existed. In 1769, the town 
erected a small building near the meeting-house, known as the 
" Session-House," which was often used for schools. Here we 
find a Mr. Donovan teaching, in 1776, five months, though as 
early as 1773 the town voted to raise twenty-four pounds, and 
" that the selectmen divide it as they think proper." Accord- 
ingly, a man was employed to teach for a few months in differ- 
ent parts of the town. The following year the same amount 
was raised, and divided equally among five districts, the people 
voluntarily arranging themselves into so many districts. xVs 
early as 1788, the town voted to " hire a grammar-school master 
for a year, as cheap as they can, and that said school-master 
shall pass an examination ; that the Rev. Mr. Solomon Moor, 
Jonathan Gove, and William Clark, Esq., be a committee to 
examine the grammar-school master, to see if he is qualified 
for the office, as to the languages, figures, and mathematics." 
Also, it was voted to " divide the town into five districts, and 
that the grammar-master shall keep equally in the said five." 
This division was made so as to accommodate the scattered 
population as best it might. In 1792, the town was redistricted 
by a committee composed of Ninian Clark, Mathew Fairfield, 
Solomon Dodge, James Caldwell, and John Cochran, as follows : 

District No. l. 

David Henderson, John Parrot, Daniel Redington, 

John McMillen, Jr., Samuel Cree, Henry Spaulding. 



158 



James Caldwell, 
Kobert Campbell, 
Josiali "Warren, 
Allen Moor, 



Thomas Cochran, 
Alexander McCollom, 
James Willson, Jr., 



Thomas Grifen, 
Jonathan Grifen, 
John Gordon, 
Samuel Willson, 
Joseph Beard, 
James Carnes, 
Ephraim Clark, 



Samuel Smith, 
Thomas Smith, 
Robert Balch, 
John Burns, 
Nehemiah Dodge, 



Livermore Langdall, 
David Starrett, 
Jacob Ober, 
Joseph Andrews, 



James Crombie, 
Samuel Stickney, 
William Johnson, 
Hezekiah Austin, 
Widow Martha Jacks, 
John Henry, 



Ebenezer Clark, 
Thomas Cristy, 



District No. 2. 

David Caldwell, 
Matthew Caldwell, 
Samuel Abbott, 
Joseph Haselton, 
Joseph Leach, Jr., 

District No. 3. 

Alexander "Willson, 
James Willson, 
Thomas Willson, 

District No. 4. 

W r illiam Woodbury, 
James Walker, 
James Smith, 
Robert "Walker, 
William Patterson, 
Samuel Brown, 
Oliver Sheppel, 

District No. 5. 

John Livingston, 
Jacob Bennett, 
Deacon John Smith, 
Thomas Smith, Jr., 
William White, 

District No. 6. 

Josiah Morgan, 
David Stinson, 
Daniel Dane, 
William Clark, 
Ninian Clark, 

District No. 7. 
Thomas Stark, 
Daniel Dodge, 
Robert Cochran, 
Jesse Cristy, Jr., 
John Cochran, 
Nathaniel Dodge, 

District No. 8. 
William McMillen, 
Peter Cochran, 



John Davis, 
Joseph Leach, 
David Stevens, 
Elisha Wilkins. 



Peter Cochran, Jr., 
Samuel Boyd. 



John Jordan, 
William Beard, 
Robert Willson, 
Elias Dickey, 
Aaron Howe, 
Samuel Willson, Jr. 



David Thompson, 
James Adams, 
William Dodge, 
James Gregg. 



Jacob Dodge, 
Simon Dodge, 
Samuel Patch, 
John Whipple. 



Isaac Peabody, 
Elijah Cochran, 
Widow Waugh, 
Nathaniel Bootman, 
Joseph McKenzie, 
Deacon Jesse Cristy. 



Matthew Fairfield, 
Moses Cristy, 



159 



John Cristy, 
James McMillen, 
Robert Patterson, Jr. 



Daniel Kelso, 
William Kelso, 
Alexander Kelso, 
Ephraim Jones, 
Dr. McMillen, 



Jacob Hooper, 
William Camiel, 
John Cochran, Jr., 
James Cochran, 
Capt. John McLaughlen, Capt. Benjamin Dodge, 
Deacon Robert White, 



John McMillen, 
Arthur Dennis, 
Dudley Curtis, 

District No. 9. 

Joseph Lamson, 
Robert Boyd, 
John Lamson, 
Jacob Fairfield, 
William McNeill, 

District No. 10. 

Widow McLaughlen, 
Samuel Waters, 
Ammi Dodge, 
John Kennedy, 



Lieut. James Ferson, 
James Ferson, Jr., 
William Coleman, 
Jonathan Gove, 
William Livingston, 
Solomon Dodge, 
Robert Hogg, 



District No. 11. 

John Richards, 
Nehemiah Dodge, 
Francis Dodge, 
John Hogg, 
Abner Hogg, 
William Hogg, 
James Kenedy, 



David McLaughlen, 
Lemuel Marden, 
Widow Cristy. 



James Dodge, 
Joshua Jones, 
Enoch Dodge, 
Archibald McAllister. 



Robert Patterson, 
Rev. Solomon Moor, 
Elisha Dodge, 
Noah Dodge, 
Gideon Dodge. 



William Blair, 
Zadoch Read, 
Andrew Walker, 
Philemon Perkins, 
Lelsley Gregg, 
Samuel George, 
John McCaye. 



Subsequently, changes took place, and new districts were 
formed, until the number became eighteen, and so continued 
until 1856, when two districts near the centre united, building 
a commodious house in the lower village, and grading the 
scholars. Other districts have built new houses, or repaired 
old ones, while some yet remain to the disgrace of the town, 
and the injury of the rising generation. The amount of money 
raised by the town annually has been usually something more 
than the law requires, in addition to the income from the 
"school fund," most of which has been lost to the purposes for 
which it was intended. 

Great benefit has been derived from "tuition" schools, 
taught in the autumn or spring, and not unfrequently both. 
These have usually been well attended, and instructed by com- 
petent teachers. " The hall over the long store in the upper 



160 



village, and the town hall in the lower, have witnessed many 
minds struggling to unfold themselves by searchings for knowl- 
edge, and their success is proof of the value of such schools 
to a community. Rev. Solomon Moor interested himself much 
in the success of schools, and encouraged many a lad to study, 
who otherwise would have grown up in ignorance ; and Rev. 
Mr. Bradford was unwearied in efforts to stimulate the children 
of the town to excel as scholars, fitting not a few for college, 
and more to become teachers, and to enter successfully upon 
honorable paths of activity. That New Boston has not fallen 
in the rear of sister towns is evident from the number and 
character of the teachers she has reared, and the intelligent 
men she has sent forth into other communities. Such has been 
the benefit of her schools, that she may well foster them in the 
future, nor feel that money expended in rearing convenient 
and tasteful school-houses, and in paying competent and faith- 
ful teachers, will fail to return the most satisfactory dividends. 
Of the character and advantages of her schools, we will let one 
of her worthy sons testify in the following paper. 



EEV. JOSEPH ADDISON GOODHUE. 



Mr. Goodhue was born May 27, 1824, the son of Joseph A. 
Goodhue, a notice of whose family may be found among the 
biographical sketches. Until sixteen he diligently combined 
labor and study at home, from which time until twenty he 
taught several district and select schools, and prepared himself 
to enter the sophomore class in Dartmouth College, from which 
he graduated in 1848. After teaching Kingston Academy one 
year, he entered the Newton Theological Institution, whence 
he graduated in 1852, and was shortly after ordained pastor of 
the Central Baptist Church in Norwich, Conn., whence, after 
two years, he was called to a professorship in the Connecticut 
Literary Institute, at Suffield, which he soon resigned, and 
accepted a call from the South Baptist Church in Boston, where 
he remained about two years. In July, 1859, he was installed 
pastor of the First Baptist Church in Framingham ; and August 
1, 1862, he was called to the North Baptist Church in Cam- 
bridge, his present field of labor. 

Mr. Goodhue married Miss Abby, daughter of Rev. George 
Leonard, of Portland, Me., December 8, 1852, and they have 
had two children: George H., born April 15, 1855 ; and Addie 
J., born July 15, 1857. His son George died January 25, 1864, 
a child of much promise, whose early removal has caused great 
grief. In 1859, Mr. Goodhue published a work called " The Cru- 
cible," a treatise on " the Tests of a Regenerate State ; " in which 
the author " attracts and charms the reader, not by ornaments 
and glowing periods, but by clearly presenting the mighty theme 
in its own colors." Rev. Dr. J. N. Brown, of the " Baptist Fam- 
ily Magazine," pronounces this work " an invaluable book. It 

21 



162 



treats the most difficult, delicate, yet momentous points of ex- 
perimental religion, with a singular depth of penetration, sound- 
ness of judgment, and seriousness of spirit. Its analysis is 
admirable, and the precision and terseness of the language give 
it all the value, without the pretension, of a work of strict sci- 
ence. It is truly a work of spiritual pathology. Such a book 
as this does not appear once in a century. It makes and marks 
an era." 




JH "Buff oris LlUl. 



J A ^crdJjAJd. 



KESPONSE OE MR. GOODHUE, 



The Schools of New Boston. — They have been to the intellect of her ycmth what 
the sun and rain have been to her soil. 

Mr. President, — 

Prominent among the indexes of the character of any people 
is the provision which they are accustomed to make for the 
mental culture of their children and youth. The history of no 
township can be an honorable one in which, next to the village 
church, the school-house does not occupy a conspicuous place. 
Were there no reminiscences to be cherished at these centen- 
nial festivities, of the school and the school-master, the spelling- 
book and reader, the arithmetic and grammar, meagre enough 
would be the occasion. But, as one of the sons of New Boston, 
I am proud to-day that such reminiscences arc not wanting. 
They have been engraven on the tablets of a thousand youth- 
ful memories in such a manner that neither the cares nor the 
business nor the conflicts of subsequent life ever have been or 
will be able to efface them. The scenes of the district-school 
have been among our liveliest memories, and their story has 
often been recounted by many a native of these hills and val- 
leys far away in other towns and states, and even in other lands. 

If there is any one feature in the past history of this munici- 
pal incorporation which we shall celebrate to-day with a 
heartier, livelier, and more spontaneous enthusiasm than we 
shall the rest, it must be that of our common schools. The 
recollection of these, more than anything else, will quicken again 
in our veins our youthful blood. It is with a right good relish 
that we come home from various parts, (for we have no home 
on earth but the place in which we were born, and where we 
first learned to read and write and spell our mother-tongue), 
to glory with our other brethren over those primitive, simple, 
and yet invaluable institutions in which our young ideas were 
first taught how to get their range and shoot. 



164 



The conviction of the worth of these institutions is deeply- 
wrought into the fibres of our souls ; so deeply that no subse- 
quent acquaintance with similar institutions, of however supe- 
rior character they may have claimed to be, could possibly 
eradicate it. We, therefore, who received our first training in 
the common schools of New Boston, are prepared to hear any 
amount of eulogium heaped upon them. Our feelings will 
justify the application of epithets to them in the superlative, yea, 
(for I must coin a word), in the superlativest degree. When 
we were enjoying the advantages of those places of learning, 
we believed them to be the very best in the whole world. And 
this very faith which we had in them was calculated actually 
to make them so to us. It is a wise provision of nature which 
which leads the child to believe, for the time, in the superlative 
excellence of the institutions under which lie was reared - just 
as he naturally believes that his parents are the wisest and best 
beings in all the world ; such faith will cause teachers and 
educational advantages of a very inferior quality to become of 
incalculable worth, while a corresponding distrust of those of a 
far superior grade will reduce their benefit to the lowest degree. 

This is one evil attendant upon making constant changes and 
professed improvements in our systems of education. It weakens 
the confidence of the young in the opportunities they have, and 
impairs the earnestness of their application, on which more 
depends than on the excellence of their advantages. This is an 
evil attendant upon education in the academy, the college, and 
the schools for the professions. By the time the youth arrives 
at these he has outgrown the period of implicit faith which 
belongs to childhood, and begins to reason, to elect, and doubt, 
which impairs the concentration of his powers and his conse- 
quent improvement. 

We have never had such faith in any other literary institu- 
tions as we once had in the common schools of our native town. 
And the effects of once having had such faith have by no means 
been effaced from our minds, any more than we have outgrown 
our early reverence for those who gave us our birth and nurtured 
our tender childhood ; while to-day those early sentiments 
are revived with all their youthful freshness and vigor. And 
hence we feel just like giving full sway to our early attachment, 



165 



and declaring it as our present deliberate conviction that the 
district schools of our native town were, without any qualifica- 
tion, the very best in all the world. 

Nor is this a matter of the feelings only, or of personal pride. 
These schools were as a matter of fact to us the best in all the 
world. We, the sons of New Boston, owe to them all we have 
been or are, or expect to be. And why should we not eulogize 
them here to-day ? It is folly to speculate as to what might 
have been the effect upon us if our lot had been cast elsewhere 
in our childhood, and- we had enjoyed superior opportunities, 
and facilities for an early education. It was not so to be. It 
was appointed that the most important part of the literary cul- 
ture and mental training that some, and all that most of us 
should ever have to prepare us for the conflict of life should be 
had in the schools of this goodly town. If these had not fur- 
nished it, we should have had none at all. The other advan- 
tages, which some of us have enjoyed in addition to these, would 
have' been of no avail whatever without these to precede. And 
as we look back upon them to-day, we are more deeply im- 
pressed than ever with the fact that they performed for us a 
great and good work. I feel proud of my native town, when I 
think of the position and influence to which many to whom she 
gave their birth have attained, at home and abroad, and remem- 
ber that their entire preparation for their stations of usefulness 
and honor was received at her hands. And I am not less deeply 
affected with a sense of gratitude, when I think of the many in- 
stances in which she laid in her common schools the foundations 
on which have subsequently been erected superstructures that 
have been no disgrace to the literary and professional world. 

Considering her situation in a rural district, and her com- 
paratively limited facilities for educating her children, I think 
a worthy meed of praise is due to our alma mater from her grown- 
up sons and daughters, as they have come home to pay their 
respects to her on this her hundredth natal day. We feel it 
incumbent upon us, and due to her, to acknowledge that she 
has done the best she could for her numerous family, in the 
circumstances ; she has furnished to. all her sons and daughters 
the opportunity, at least, of learning correctly to read and write 
and speak the language of the country in which they were born, 
a language which is now most extensively spoken and written 



166 

of any on the face of the earth. So far as learning is con- 
cerned, she has provided them with the means of securing an 
honest livelihood, and of making a respectable appearance in 
the world ; and if they have not done so it is their fault 
and not hers ; she has done her part well towards astonishing 
our Southern brethren, who have turned our enemies, with the 
fact that Yankees can furnish an army of men who are able 
upon the field of battle, to write upon the upturned bottoms of 
their dippers, neatly executed epistles to their wives and 
sweethearts at home. And, in addition to all this, she has sent 
many of her sons, who seemed to need it most, to the academy, 
the college, and the seminary, to finish up their education there. 

But let it not for a moment be supposed that we are trying 
to make the best of the inevitable misfortune — for which we are 
not responsible — of having been born and nurtured in a country 
town, rather than in some populous city, whose literary advan- 
tages correspond with its refinement and wealth and fashion. 
I have come in contact, to a considerable extent, with the schools 
of the principal towns and cities of Massachusetts, which are 
supposed not to be inferior to any the country affords ; but I 
have never for one moment regretted the nativity which a kind 
providence, gave me. It is not simply from natural attachment, 
or from an early faith in their excellence, or because it was 
appointed that we should be their beneficiaries, that we speak 
thus well of the schools, of our native town. It is the convic- 
tion of our maturer judgment, that the opportunities of secur- 
ing a good education in them, even as they were a quarter of a 
century and more ago, would not suffer so much as might be 
supposed, by a comparison with the improved systems of educa- 
tion, so called, which are in so high repute in our cities and 
populous towns at the present day. 

True, we do not forget their crudeness, their lack of system, 
and order, and taste ; we remember the old school-house, with 
its floors perfectly innocent of suds, and not very guilty of 
broom, save now and then of a visit from a hemlock bough ; 
we remember the benches all hacked and scarred or, rather 
deeply carved and highly wrought, in figures betraying more 
perseverance than grace, and more ingenuity than sense of the 
beautiful ; we are not oblivious of its walls all ornamented with 
drawings in charcoal and chalk which a Punch himself could 



167 



not outdo ; we still have some faint recollections of the not 
most highly-refined festivity claimed by the pupils on every 
new year of deposing the dominus from his authority, and tak- 
ing the reins of government into their own hands for the day, 
by bolting or barring or smoking him out of the premises, as 
the case might require, and that at the expense of no penalty 
save an unusually close attention to books on the following day. 
We remember all these things ; and their recital has furnished 
merriment to the children of the city, who know as little of the 
country as we used to of the city. But these, after all, were 
only incidental. We are not willing to call them faults. In- 
deed, the real, sterling merits of the simple system of the district- 
school instruction of my boyhood, with all its defects, have 
grown upon my appreciation the more I have become acquaint- 
ed with the multiplied novelties which are introduced into the 
city schools at the present time, under the head of improve- 
ments ; and I have almost wished that my own children could 
be transferred to the same limited system of instruction as 
being the less evil of the two. 

I have not time to draw a comparison between these two sys- 
tems of education, and it might seem invidious to do so. But 
some of the points on which such a comparison might be based 
are these. It may be said distinctively, and comparatively if 
you choose, of the common-school system of New Boston, as it 
has been in the past, that it was the fundamental and not super- 
ficial. If it was comparatively limited in its range, it was com- 
mensurably thorough. For one thing New Boston deserves praise ; 
and that is, that she has taught her children to spell their 
mother tongue, which not all highly-educated persons are able 
to do. The fundamental branches of reading, writing, spelling, 
arithmetic, and English grammar were not made to give place 
to a multitude of superficialities, which are of no account but 
for a show. The training of our common schools has been such 
as to develop and strengthen talent, if not to make it most elite 
and ostentatious. It laid good foundations on which a super- 
structure might afterwards be raised, according to the in- 
dividual's choice ; or it furnished an education sufficiently com- 
plete in itself for all the common, practical purposes of life. 
New Boston has prepared her sons to go abroad in the world, 



168 



and act out their common sense to a good advantage, and use 
their wits without disgracing themselves. She has qualified 
them not to be pedants and dandies, not to flourish and swag- 
ger, but to be among the solid men of the land. Her system 
of education has been such as to furnish sturdy thinkers rather 
than sickly sentimentalists and frothy declaimers. The absence 
of extensive classification and gradation in her schools, has given 
those who had the disposition the opportunity to excel. This 
has made them hardy, self-reliant, persevering, and not afraid 
of obstacles. Consequently, when they, like the sons of the 
rural districts generally, have stood side by side, in our higher 
seminaries of learning, with the sons of wealth from the cities 
and populous towns, who have been educated more carefully 
and tenderly, they have marched firmly and manfully on, while 
•the latter, their precociousness having attained to its climax, 
have faltered and fallen back gradually toward the rear of the 
ranks, the nearer they approached to the goal of final distinc- 
tion. 

Another cause, which ought to be mentioned as contributing 
to this result, is the fact that our common schools never having 
been continued through the entire year, the mental training of 
the young has gone hand in hand with habits of industry which, 
while their education has not suffered by it, has inured them to 
physical hardihood and endurance ; while the sons of the city, 
who have passed slowly from one grade to another up through 
a long course of study in well-heated and poorly-ventilated 
rooms, have emerged from them like a plant from a darkened 
cellar, tall, slender, sickly, and puny, both in body and mind. 

Finally, it is not unworthy to be recorded here, that the edu- 
cational system of New Boston has been highly economical, as 
compared with that of our populous towns and cities ; that is, 
while she has not been frugal in her appropriations, but rather 
generous according to her ability, the results have been com- 
paratively very large in proportion to the outlay. It has cost 
her far less per head to educate her children than it has the 
cities, while, in many respects certainly, their education has 
not been inferior. 

Hence we cordially indorse the sentiment with which we 
started, that the " schools of our native town have been to the 
intellect of her vouth as the rain and the sun to her soil." 



SCHOOL TEACHEES. 



The following is an abridged list of school-teachers whom 
New Boston has raised up, as given by Jesse Beard, Esq. The 
whole list was very long, — too long to be inserted : — 



Adams, William 
Adams, Sarah 
Adams, Frances 
Adams, Mary 
Atwood, Lydia 
Atwood, Sarah 
Atwood, Annie 
Atwood, Mary 
Atwood, Solomon 
Buxton, Edward 
Buxton, Eliza 
Bradford, William 
Bradford, Ephraim P. 
Bradford, Anstis 
Bradford, Mary 
Bradford, Annie 
Bennett, John 
Bennett, Joseph 
Brown, Mary 
Beard, Andrew 
Beard, William 
Beai-d, Sarah 
Beard, Eliza 
Beard, John 
Beard, Ann M. 
Beard, Sarah M. 
Beard, Jesse 
Beard, James 
Beard, Mary 
Beard, Evelyn S. 
Beard, Edwin 
Beard, Cordelia C. 
22 



Brooks, John 

Burnham, Abby L. 

Burnham, M. Addie 

Christie, John 

Christie, Ann 

Christie, Sumner L. 

Christie, Elizabeth 

Christie, Sarah 

Christie, Harlan 
Christie, Mary 

Crombie, William 
Crombie, Robert 
Crombie, John 
Crombie, Mary 
Crombie, Letitie 
Campbell, Samuel 
Campbell, Mary 
Campbell, Sally 
Campbell, Daniel 
Campbell, Annis 
Campbell, William 
Campbell, Elizabeth 
Clark, William 
Clark, Jonathan 
Clark, Dalton 
Clark, Rebecca 
Clark, Cordelia 
Clark, Frances 
Cochran, Peter 
Cochi-an, Thomas 
Cochran, John D. 
Cochran, Thomas H. 



Cochran, Mary 
Cochran, Mary S. 
Cochran, Jonathan 
Cochran, Robert B. 
Cochran, Prudence 
Cochran, Aftnis C. 
Cochran, Warren R. 
Cochran, Sophia 
Cochran, Whiting 
Cochran, Clark B. 
Cochran, Andrew 
Cochran, Alonzo 
Cochran, Lydia J. 
Cochran, Margaret 
Cochran, Sophronia 
Cochran, Marinda 
Colburn, William 
Dodge, Solomon 
Dodge, Sarah 
Dodge, Amos 
Dodge, Reuben 
Dodge, Abner 
Dodge, Elouisa 
Dodge, Mary 
Dodge, John N. 
Dodge, James S. 
Dodge, Mary J. 
Dodge, Sarah N. 
Dodge, Willard 
Dodge, Mary, 2d 
Dodge, Achsah 
Dane, Almena 



170 



Dane, Elizabeth 
Ferson, William 
Ferson, James 
Ferson, Paul 
Fairfield, John 
Fairfield, Josiah 
Fairfield, John, 2d 
Fairfield, Seth 
Fairfield, Charles G. 
Fairfield, Sarah 
Fairfield, Elizabeth S. 
Gregg, Alexander 
Gregg, James 
Gregg, James M. 
Gregg, David- 
Gregg, Daniel 
Gregg, Augusta 
Gregg, Margaret 
Goodhue, Joseph A. 
Goodhue, Amos B. 
Goodhue, Leonard 
Goodhue, Joseph A. 
Goodhue, Annie 
Goodhue, Mary- 
Kelso, Jonathan G. 
Kelso, Augusta 
Langdell, Christopher C 
Langdell, Hannah 



Lawrence, Helen 
Lawrence, Eliza 
Lamson, Sally 
Leach, Mary J. 
Leach, Lucy A. 
Loring, Lorinda 
Loring, Aaron 
Marden, Waterman 
Marden, Henry 
McCollom, Rodney 
McCollom, Alexander 
McCollom, Arabella 
McNiel, William 
McNiel, Granville 
McNiel, John 
McNiel, Rachel 
McNiel, Mary J. 
McNiel, Lydia 
McNiel, John 
Neville, Sarah 
Neville, Victoria 
Neville, Julia 
Richards, Jacob 
Richards, Margaret 
Richards, Joanna 
Richards, Evelyn 
Richards, Nancy 
Richards, Margaret J. 



Wason, Robert 
Wason, Horace 
Wason, Hiram 
Wason, William 
Wason, Robert B. 
Wason, Austin 
Wason, Louisa 
Wason, Caroline 
Wason, Adaline 
Wason, Mary 
Wason, Nancy 
Wason, Elbridge 
Whiting, Dexter 
Whiting, Harris 
Whiting, Calvin 
Whiting, Julia 
Whiting, Roxanna 
Whipple, Joseph 
Whipple, Philantha R. 
Wilder, Lizzie E. 
Wilson, William 
Wilson, Rebecca 
Woodbury, Hammon 
Woodbury, Hannah 
Woodbury, Lucy 
Woodbury, William 



CHOEISTEBS AND TEACHEBS 0E MUSIC. 



PRESBYTERIAN SOCIETY. 

Jacob Dodge, from 1 7 73 to 1 782 



Robert Clark, 
Wm. B. Dodge, 
Abner Dodge, 
Jesse Beard, 
Jacob Richards, 



from 1782 to 1803 
from 1803 to 1808 
from 1808 to 1817 
from 1817 to 1828 
from 1828 to 1858 



Thos. Thompson, 
Jesse Beard, 
Josiah Gage, 
Zachariah Morgan, 
Jesse Beard, 
Vincent Jeffers, 
James M. Smith, 



SOCIETY. 

from 1804 to 
from 1809 to 
from 1820 to 
from 1825 to 
from 1833 to 
from 1844 to 
from 1851 to 



1809 
1816 
1825 
1833 
1844 
1851 
1862 



WILLIAM W. COLBUEN. 



Mr. Colburn is the son of the late Leonard Colburn. He 
fitted for college chiefly at Francestown Academy, under Syl- 
vanus Hayward, now pastor of the Congregational Church in 
Dunbarton, and graduated from Dartmouth College in the class 
of 1861, with an enviable reputation for scholarship, and is 
now Principal of the High School in the city of Manchester, 
highly esteemed both as a teacher and a christian gentleman. 



RESPONSE OF WILLIAM W. COLBURN. 



The Patriotism of the Early Settlers of New Boston. — " Voted unanimously, 
to a man, to support the Constitution and Laws of the United States."' 

Mr. President, — 

Patriotism has always been highly honored by men in all 
stages of civilization. The ancient bards sang their noblest 
strains in celebrating it ; the orators of Greece and Rome kin- 
dled their most glowing eloquence at its altar ; and history has 
given her most luminous page to the record of those who freely 
offered their lives in devotion to the interests of fatherland. 
We have honored it wherever we have seen it manifested. We 
always read with pleasure and enthusiasm the history of the 
patriotic achievements of the Grecian phalanx at Thermopylae 
and Marathon ; of the imperial cohorts of Rome, led and ani- 
mated by the stately presence of a Caesar ; of the swarthy sons 
of Spain under the Iron Duke of Alva, and the Great Captain ; 
of the liberty-loving Netherlander, inspired and sustained by 
the peerless Prince of Orange ; and especially of the founders 
and defenders of those liberties, constitutional rights and priv- 
leges, which we now enjoy. The patriots of the Revolution, 
from the immortal Washington to the humblest of their rank 
and file, have been admired and eulogized by all the civilized 
world. We, their descendants, on this, the grand fete day of 
our nation, assembled to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of 
the incorporation of this town, enjoying, as we do, so many bless- 
ings in consequence of the virtues of our fathers, should be 
guilty of unpardonable neglect if we should fail on this occasion 
to give prominent place in our thoughts and in our speech to the 
valor and patriotism which were manifested by the early inhab- 
itants of this now venerable town. Unfortunately for us, the 
early history of New Boston has not yet been written, and for 
particular facts we are obliged to rely upon traditional accounts. - 



174 



These, however, are sufficiently reliable for our present pur- 
pose. Indeed, it is but a few years since the last survivor of 
those who took an active part in the war of the Revolution 
passed from among us, having lived to tell the story of that 
long and soul-trying war to three generations, and at last real- 
izing, almost literally, Dryden's beautiful description of an old 
man's death : — 

" Of no distemper, of no blast he died, 
But fell like autumn fruit that mellowed long ; 
E'en wondered at because he dropped no sooner. 
Fate seemed to wind him up for fourscore years, 
Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more ; 
Till, like a clock worn out with beating time, 
The wheels of weary life at last stood still." 

We have all heard anecdotes of the trials endured, and sac- 
rifices offered, by the early inhabitants of this town. The men 
took their muskets and joined their compatriots, leaving their 
farms to the care of their wives and children. They suffered 
all the hardships of long marches, of severe weather, of field 
and camp-life, and of dreary captivity. All this was endured 
cheerfully, and in the true spirit of patriotism. That these 
men possessed courage and resolution might be inferred from 
what they did at home. To enter a new country, to fell its for- 
ests, and to convert a wilderness into fruitful fields, is a task 
that timid souls would not undertake. The first settlers of 
New Boston, as well as of New England generally, were men 
who had a purpose in life, and were thoroughly in earnest to 
accomplish it. They were no carpet champions, passing the 
time in ease and luxury ; but active, earnest men, ready to 
meet the rough realities of life, and to do their duty either at 
home, in the quiet pursuit of agriculture, or on the field of 
battle, in defence of their rights and liberties. I have not 
been able to ascertain the exact number of those who did mili- 
tary duty, but the records show that the quota of New Boston 
was promptly filled, both in the war of the Revolution and that 
of 1812, and that ample provision was made for the wants of 
those who were left destitute by the departure of the able-bodied 
men to the service of their country. 

The fathers of this town, with their compatriots, declared 



175 

themselves capable of self-government, and nobly sustained that 
declaration on the battle-fields of the infant republic. No one 
can deny them patriotism, and, with the exception of the Tory 
element, which existed here a short time during the Revolution, 
their loyalty to republican rule cannot be questioned. At this 
day, no one will wish to deny, or be ashamed to confess, that 
the Tory element was represented in this town by a consider- 
able party. Throughout the American colonies there were 
many men who, born and prospered under a limited monarchy, 
often the recipients of royal favor and patronage, were slow to 
renounce their loyalty to Great Britain, and commit themselves 
in favor of a movement which was attended with danger, and 
whose success was doubtful. But after our national independ- 
ence had been achieved, and republicanism established, these 
same men became as loyal as any. 

Patriotism is universally the concomitant of intelligence and 
wisdom. Laws, governments, and institutions are the creatures 
of men, and reflect their character ; therefore, whenever we find 
equable laws, governments adapted to the wants of the governed, 
and institutions of a humane and benevolent character, we 
may safely infer that their founders were not only wise and 
intelligent, but patriotic. 

Patriotism looks to the future as well as the present. "We 
need no stronger evidence of the patriotism of our fathers than 
the institutions they left to the country whose interests they 
had so willingly and faithfully served. Consider one moment 
the system of town government that prevails here and through- 
out New England. With the possible exception of some of the 
cantons, of Switzerland, the world does not present other in- 
stances of government founded on the principles of pure democ- 
racy than in the towns of New England. Here the people, in 
sovereign capacity, assemble en masse to provide for the com- 
mon interest. The democracy of ancient Greece was but an 
empty name, compared with that established by the patriot 
fathers of New England. Men may say what they please of the 
inefficiency and ultimate impracticability of a republican form 
of government for a nation of the size of ours, but no monarch- 
ist of Europe or anti-republican in America, can say that our 
^own democracies are not complete, efficient, and satisfactory in 



176 



all the essentials of a prosperous and happy government. Look 
at. the subject as we may, we find ourselves deeply indebted to 
the patriotism of the early inhabitants of this town. The 
gentler sex also challenge our praise and admiration for the 
patriotism, which they manifested by patient toil and self- 
sacrifice in their quiet sphere of life. We should not do justice 
to this occasion if we should fail to make honorable mention of 
their mild and unobtrusive, but potential and efficient, influence 
for the good of their country. There never was a time when 
patriotism could be better appreciated than now. Our national 
government is undergoing its most trying test, and is entirely 
dependent upon the people who created it, and who during so 
many years have been protected by it, not only for delivery from 
present peril, but for the perpetuity of those institutions which 
are so dear to every American heart. While we are so anxious 
for the success of our national arms, and tremble when we hear 
of any disaster to the cause of patriotism, let us remember the 
success that crowned the humble, but determined efforts of our 
fathers, and take courage. We can in nowise better pay the 
debt of gratitude we owe them than by following their example 
in all the virtues of life. While we are justly proud of those 
brave boys who have gone from loved homes to defend our 
national honor, let us duly honor the valor and patriotism of 
those who, in the vigor of young manhood, felled the forests 
that covered these now cultivated hills, one hundred years 
ago. 



GERRY ¥. HAZELTON, ESQ. 



' Mr. Hazelton is the son of William Hazelton, of Chester. 
His mother was Mercy J., daughter of John Cochrane, of New 
Boston, and sister of the Hon. Clark B. Cochrane. After the 
usual preparatory education, he read law with the Hon. C. B. 
Cochrane, of Albany, New York, and established himself in his 
profession in Columbus, Wisconsin, where his past success and 
future prospects are sufficient to satisfy the ambition of any rea- 
sonable young man. His high christian principles and sym- 
pathy with every good cause are the sure pledge of a harvest 
of honor in years to come. 

23 



EESPONSE OF GEKRY ¥. HAZELTON, ESQ. 



New Boston, — like New England, loyal to the Constitution and Union, looks con- 
fidently to her absent sons to stand by her and New England, in this hour of struggle 
for national existence. 

Mb. Pbesident, — 

Were I to say that I feci a thousand times repaid for journey- 
ing from the far-off valley of the Mississippi, to enjoy this most 
interesting occasion, I should but feebly express the satis- 
faction I experience, in returning to New England and New 
Hampshire, to participate with the thousands here assembled, in 
thus observing and celebrating this memorable and glorious day. 

Leaving behind the broad lakes and thriving marts of the 
West, the teeming prairies with their lengthened shadows, 
where to-day, even as we are assembled, yonder sun, that bathes 
these grand old hill-tops in its glow, is tinging the ripening 
grain for the reaper's sickle, it is delightful to stand again amidst 
familiar and cherished, though rugged scenes, and breathe once 
more the inspiriting air that fans your mountain homes. 

For the first time in fifteen years, I am permitted to cele- 
brate this natal anniversary in New England. I could hardly 
hope in a lifetime to be here under more interesting circum- 
stances. It is a privilege which I fully appreciate. 

Strong as may be my attachments elsewhere, and potent as 
may be the impulse which constrains so many of your sons and 
daughters to pursue the " star of empire," I can well under- 
stand the sentiment whi^h is still so largely cherished, and in 
the spirit of which you exclaim, — 

" Others may seek the Western clime, 
They say 'tis passing fair ; 
That sunny are its laughing skies, 

And soft its balmy air ; 
We'll linger round our childhood's home 
Till age our warm blood chills, — 



180 

Till we die in dear New England 
And sleep beneath her hills." 

Mr. President, I bow with deference to this sentiment. In 
this imposing presence, I confess myself all bnt a captive to its 
regal command. 

Others may calumniate this distinguished portion of our land, 
and in the blindness of unreasoning prejudice, or impotent ma- 
lignity, may thrust hither their poisoned shafts ; I shall never 
cease to exult in New England as my birthplace, nor fail to 
claim kindred with her noble sons. 

Let the spirits of darkness howl upon her track, and gnash 
their impious teeth in her face, — she remains the same New 
England, sturdy, brave, intelligent and true, and this is enough. 

Let other sections, and other localities fail and falter, and 
turn their backs upon their obligations as they may, New Eng- 
land holds right on her way faithful to her traditions, her duty, 
her destiny. 

We have heard much, to-day, of the class of men that set- 
tled this portion of New England. They are the type of our 
whole ancestral stock ; and if I were to undertake to define 
their qualities in a word, I should say that, beyond any other 
equal number of men, they united the greatness of action with 
the greatness of ideas. They were not greater in the majesty 
of great virtues than of great and heroic deeds. If they could 
plan, so could they execute. To the faith of the Covenanter 
they united the practical sense, the business energy, the unfail- 
ing sagacity of the successful man of the world. They put 
their trust in God, but they were careful to " keep their powder 
dry." Taught the necessity of self-reliance, they were prepared, 
as occasion called, to " stand as if a man were author of 
himself, and knew no other kin ; " at the same time they never 
failed to realize their dependence upon* the Almighty arm. 

They established churches and schools, but beside these they 
planted mills, reared factories, opened workshops, and multi- 
plied facilities for commerce. While they cultivated and stim- 
ulated the moral and intellectual forces of the people, they were 
assiduous in developing the material and physical resources of 
the land ; and although they inhabited a rocky and sterile coun- 



181 



try, no people has ever been more prosperous, more independ- 
ent, more happy, or more progressive. 

It was these characteristics which made them so prominent 
and so effective in achieving our nationality. Among the first 
who conceived the necessity of cutting loose from the parent 
government, they were also among the most resolute and heroic 
in accomplishing that great object. They appreciated the fiery 
path through which the colonics must press to final triumph ; 
but they knew the prize was worth the cost, and cheerfully led 
the way through the smoke and flames and carnage of revolu- 
tion, with unfaltering trust in God and their own right arm. 
They had read history not in vain. They knew that through 
scenes of sacrifice and trial and danger, oftentimes through 
the fierce din of arms, and the surging and thundering of con- 
tending forces, nations and peoples and communities are ed- 
ucated and disciplined up to a higher civilization and a truer life. 

They, moreover, realized and understood the force and sig- 
nificance of the sentiment before the poet wrote, — 

" Oh Freedom ! thou art not as poets dream, — 
A fair young girl, with light and delicate limbs 
And wavy tresses ***** 

A bearded man, 
Armed to the teeth art thou ; one mailed hand 
Grasps the broad shield, and one the sword ; thy brow, 
Glorious in beauty though it be, is scarred 
With tokens of old wars. Thy massive limbs 
Are strong with struggling." 

We have heard much, Mr. President, in certain localities of 
the West, during the past year, in denunciation of New Eng- 
land, — much, even, about dissolving the interesting relations 
between her and the " rest of mankind," and leaving her to the 
desperate alternative of taking care of herself. 

Such allusions, Sir, are extraordinary, and I only refer to 
them here to say that they are in no sense a correct reflection 
of the prevailing sentiment on that subject, and find no coun- 
tenance with fair-minded men of any party or nationality. 
Were the proposition submitted to a vote of the people, there 
is not a State west of Lake Erie where it would find any sub- 
stantial indorsement. 



182 

I have heard a public declaimer hissed into silence, in at least 
two of the leading cities of the West, for carping at New Eng- 
land. I have heard a Western troup sing, amid the tears and 
cheers of a delighted auditory, — 

" Hurrah for old New England 
And her cloud-capped granite hills ! " 

Why, Mr. President, in Wisconsin we feel as though we could 
not keep house without New England ! 

Her sons are in our pulpits, in our halls of legislation, in our 
chambers of commerce, at our boards of trade, on our judicial 
benches, in our editors' chairs, at our bars of justice. Her 
daughters are our school-madams, our wives, our sisters, our 
cousins, our friends. 

No, we cannot part company. Not only East and West, but 
North and South, must remain together. Our traditions, our 
associations, our interests, our hopes, our necessities bind us 
together. A part of the same great National Unity, our destiny 
is one. No stripe shall be erased from our national escutcheon, 
no star obscured. The days and hours of our trial and sacri- 
fice are days and hours of discipline, and will have an end. 
Forth from the fiery ordeal the Divine hand will lead us in his 
own good time, purged and purified, and fitted for his own be- 
neficent purposes. If true to the mighty trust which, in the 
providence of God, has been cast upon this generation, we shall 
earn the plaudits and benedictions of mankind. 

Nor shall we fail. The day of our triumph may be postponed, 
but it will dawn. " High o'er the eastern steep the sun is 
beaming, and darkness flies with her deceitful shadows; so 
truth prevails o'er error." The lightnings may rend the skies 
and shake the earth, but the balmier breezes ; the purer air, and 
the brighter heavens are beyond. The fury of the storm shall 
cease, and the rainbow of peace again be painted on the sky. 
The temple of our liberties, gravitating amid the convulsions of 
the hour toward a broader and firmer basis, shall lift its jewelled 
and burnished pillars far aloft, and stand secure amid the con- 
flicts and commotions of the ages. 



WILLIAM PARKER COCHRAN, ESQ. 



He is son of Joseph Cochran, Jr., Esq. After arriving at 
majority, Mr. Cochran spent a short time in Lowell, Mass., 
when, his health failing, he shipped on board the " China," 
and visited the South Atlantic, and returned, after a cruise of 
eleven months, with health greatly improved. Subsequently he 
became employed by the Boston and Lowell Railroad as clerk, 
conductor, and general ticket clerk for the corporation. Here his 
health failed him again, and he resigned his position, and was 
subsequently connected with the Cheshire Railroad, and is now 
occupying an important office on the Vermont Valley Railroad, 
having his residence at Bellows Falls. May 3, 1843, Mr. Coch- 
ran married Nancy C. Miller, and their children are : Joseph, 
born April 16, 1844 ; Austin, born Nov. 24, 1849 ; Cornelia, 
born July 5, 1851, and William, born Feb. 24, 1855. 

Two of Mr. Cochran's children — Austin and Cornelia — 
died of scarlet fever, Jan. 9, 1854, at the same moment, after a 
sickness of only twenty-four hours. 

Mr. Cochran is an intelligent, christian man, enjoying exten- 
sive confidence as a gentleman of business capacity. 



RESPONSE OF WILLIAM P. COCHRAN, ESQ. 



The Homes of New Boston. — Good women have blessed, and religion has sancti- 
fied them. 

Mr. President, — 

I thank you for the sentiment to which you request me to 
respond. Had the topic been left to my own choice, I could 
not have selected one more in harmony with my feelings to-day. 
There is no place like home. No other place awakens such 
pleasing associations, or sets in motion trains of reflection so 
delightful. 

Childhood, parental tenderness, instruction, and restraints, 
youthful merriment and innocent sports, rich dainties and 
abundant supplies, healthful labor and refreshing sleep, on the 
one hand, and trials of patience, temptations to weakness, 
severe tasks and scanty supplies, early bereavements and aching 
hearts, on the other, cluster thick around the homes of our 
early life, as the great Disposer of the " lot" has ordained. 

The Homes of New Boston. — It was here upon these hills 
and amid these valleys, that we first beheld the beauties of earth 
and the splendors of heaven ; that we first heard the melodies 
of the human voice ; of bird, of winds, and waterfalls. It was 
here we were first startled by the lightning's flash and the 
thunder's roar ; it was here we revelled amid scenes of pleasure, 
free from the cares and toils, sorrows and trials of mind and 
heart, which in later days beset our pathway. Never to be 
obliterated are the memories of our early homes. In after 
years, wherever we roam, whatever our fortune, rich or poor, 
whatever our surroundings, no other place is to us so cherished 
as the home of our childhood. These homes may have been 
thatched cottages, and to-day we may live in palaces, yet these 
early homes are the centre of attraction to our hearts ; we are 
irresistibly drawn back, amid all our wanderings, to this start- 

24 



186 



ing-point of existence, the Eden from which it is well if only 
our circumstances, not our sins, have thrust us out. 

How different the homes of childhood from those of man- 
hood ! In the former, our wants are anticipated by others ; in 
the latter, we must care for ourselves and the precious children 
God has given us. Our homes of to-day are not the homes of 
our youth, though the homestead be ours, and we dwell in 
the old family mansion. Death has broken domestic circles, 
and the survivors are strangely dispersed ; so that he who 
stands upon the old family hearthstone this centennial day, 
surrounded though he may be with the lovely and the loved, 
recalling the days of his youth, the forms that once surrounded 
him, and the faces that smiled for him, cannot be insensible to 
the fact that desolation lias swept that home, and rent into 
fragments that once joyous family circle. He cannot but feel 
solitary, like some branchless trunk of a decaying tree, which 
stands in the open field, representing all that is left of a once 
stately forest ; yet, for their very desolation our hearts cling 
with tenderest interest to the dwellings of younger life, and 
our minds are full of them when the sports and pleasures, the 
pains and sorrows, associated with them are recalled. The 
vain attempt to catch the robin or the sparrow by laying salt 
upon his tail, the shooting the squirrel, and angling the fish, 
are not only associated with homes, but they marked a period 
in our childhood life ; they denoted development, and the ris- 
ings of ambition. We can now remember the pride we felt on 
the achievement of boyish success, and the consciousness of 
glory which the most successful general hardly dares antici- 
pate. 

And our school-life, so intimately associated with early homes, 
is not to be forgotten. The birch and ferule which few of us 
escaped, the first lessons in " Webster's Spelling-Book," under 
some Mary Campbell ; the reading of the story of " The Boy in 
the Apple-tree ; " the " Dairy-maid " with her " spilled milk ; " 
and loss of a " green dress ; " " Reynard and the Mosquitoes," 
and " Poor Dog Tray," punished for being in bad company ; the 
" Bull and the Ox," with their argumentative owners ; the 
games we played ; the battles we fought, — in which Bunker Hill 
was often taken and retaken ; those social gatherings on winter 



187 



evenings and summer days, when " blind-man's buff," " pass- 
ing the button," and " paying the forfeit," were our sports ; 
autumnal huskings, when the red ear was suggestive of ruby 
lips and rosy cheeks ; and apple " paring-bees," and the cider 
that did not intoxicate, — the remembrance of these serves to 
quicken our blood, and to cause us to grow young again ; and 
they are all associated with the homes of former days, though 
they may not belong to the present. 

But New Boston homes are associated with the loom, the 
spinning-wheel, the reel, and warping-bars, darning, knitting, 
and sewing-needles, some of which were musical, all useful, 
instruments too much displaced by the piano and crochet-needle. 
To aid them in their social gatherings, young misses used to 
take with them their spinning-wheels, each innocently striving 
to excel all others ; and their brothers came in the evening, to see 
the reeling, and crown any who had excelled, and sometimes to 
select a pair of hands and a heart to aid in life's future toilings. 
The early homes of New Boston were hives of active, busy 
hands and cheerful hearts. The Homes of New Boston. — 
Good women have blessed them. Yes, good women have blessed 
these homes. We cannot forget a pious mother, her loving 
heart and ceaseless watchings ; nor can we fail to be influenced 
by what she did and what she was to us. It was her hand that 
pressed our fevered brow, and her care, with God's blessing, 
that restored our strength. She saved us from many a heart- 
ache, dried many a tear, .shielded from many a temptation, and 
secured by her intercessions much succor from the unseen 
Power. More to us than all the world besides have been the 
eyes, the hands, and the hearts of our mothers. And the loss 
of a Christian mother cannot be replaced. Once lost she is 
lost forever. Go the wide world over, and nothing will be 
found to fill the aching void. There is no home for a child, 
where there is no mother ; nothing can serve in the stead of 
her love ; neither distance nor years can wean us from it ; time 
and distance but open our minds and hearts to a truer sense of 
its value ; the further we wander, and the longer we stay from 
the scenes of early attachments, the more intense become our 
longings to live over again the innocent days of our childhood, 
when we rested our weary heads on the bosom of a loving 



188 



mother, and were lulled to sleep by the sweet music of her 
voice. 

The Homes of New Boston. — Good women have blessed, 
and religion has sanctified them. Nothing is more obvious 
than the happy influence of Christian women and religion on 
the households of New Boston. And it was here in our child- 
hood's home that we first learned our accountability to God, 
and of salvation through Jesus Christ. Household religious 
instruction has always been one of the great mercies which a 
kind Providence has conferred upon New Boston. The cate- 
chism was earliest used as a means of storing the minds of the 
young with Scriptural truths ; and this was generally taught, 
and its influence in time can never be fully estimated. 

In 1819, the Sabbath school was first organized in this town, 
and it then excited a lively interest. It was intended especially 
for the benefit of children, but our parents were not less inter- 
ested therein, and it was at home, under their superintendence, 
•that we learned our lessons, which consisted of committing to 
memory passages of Scripture. Question-books and commen- 
taries which children could use were unknown in those days. 
Our parents were in place of them. The Bible was our text- 
book, and Sabbath evenings were especially set apart for relig- 
ious conversation and instruction. And pleasant indeed were 
those Sabbath gatherings of families for the recital of what re- 
ligious truth we had learned, and receiving more. Long and 
thankfully to be remembered are those Sabbath evenings, when 
all were free and eager to ask questions, which our parents 
kindly solved and reduced to our comprehension. Whether 
this practice was general, I cannot say ; but I know it was ob- 
served in many families. And where this practice has been 
discontinued, and the religious and moral instruction of children 
has been wholly confided to Sunday-school teachers, and we go 
about the streets boasting of the great advantages of our chil- 
dren, in the privileges they have in Sunday-school books and 
teachers, it becomes us to remember the days of our fathers, 
and to inquire into their practice in training their children ; for 
it may be that we shall find ourselves gathering only bundles 
of straw where they reaped golden sheaves of wheat. If we 
would have our homes sanctified as were the homes of our 



189 



fathers, we must practice home religious instruction ; otherwise, 
we may bring sorrow to our dwellings, and misery to our chil- 
dren's heritage. 

For such instruction, the homes of New Boston were greatly 
indebted to the good women whom God raised up to shed a 
profusion of light in their dwellings. Such mothers made these 
homes sanctuaries of peace and happiness. It was the wives 
and mothers, with strong minds and healthy bodies and sancti- 
fied hearts, that gave to this town so many model homes, and a 
generation of sons and daughters who are here to-day, loyal to 
their country, true to their God and to the principles that made 
the place of our nativity no mean inheritance. Diffusing the 
spirit of religion through their households, they made these 
hills and valleys attractive to childhood ; and the remembrance 
of them and the homes they hallowed, has drawn us from our 
distant fields of activity to the scenes of our early life, to bear 
our testimony to their worthiness, and to give assurance to the 
living and those that shall live after us, of our gratitude to 
God for such homes, and such mothers, and the religion that 
made them all that they were of good then, and now, and for 
time to come. 

And now, Mr. President, I close with the following sentiment ; 
a prayer from a sincere and loving heart : — 

The present and future Homes of New Boston. — May 
equally virtuous mothers, bless them, and their pure religion 
hallow them, rendering them the abodes of economy, industry, 
and godliness. 



THE ABSENT. 



The number of those who have emigrated from New Boston 
is very large. They are to be found in all parts of the country, 
and in almost all departments of activity. 

On the occasion of the centennial, it was not anticipated that 
all would return, though a large number was expected, and 
that expectation was more than realized ; they came from 
regions far remote, overcoming huge obstacles, and making 
great sacrifices, all drawn by a mighty attraction to the homes 
of their childhood and the graves of their ancestors. And 
though both days of the celebration were crowded with rich 
thoughts, delightful memories, and cordial greetings, yet the 
absent were not forgotten. Those who had been so long absent 
as to be nearly forgotten were by associations brought vividly 
before the mind, and those who had not neglected their an- 
cestral honies were remembered with tender interest ; while 
those who had gone for the defence of our Government, and for 
the preservation of our Union against a foul conspiracy, were 
made the objects of most earnest prayer and of tenderest recol- 
lections. 



I)R. CHARLES COCHRAN. 



He was the youngest son of John Cochran, Esq., born June 
9, 1816. His mother was Frances, daughter of the late Dr. 
Jonathan Gove. He prepared for college atHopkinton, and Fian- 
cestown academies, and spent two years in Ohio ; but in 1837 
returned and took charge of Sandwich Academy. After two 
years of teaching his health failing him, he returned to Ohio, 
and in 1840, commenced studying medicine with his brother, 
Dr. Jeremiah S. Cochran of Sandusky, and graduated at Wil- 
loughby Medical University in 1843, and practised in Sandusky 
until 1850, and settled in Toledo in 1861, where he now resides, 
highly esteemed as a gentleman and a physician. 

Dr. Cochran married Mary A. Norris of Sandwich, N. H., in 
1847. 



EESPONSE OF DE. CHAELES COCHEAN. 



The Emigeant Sons of New Boston — They speak for themselves. 

Mr. President, — 

The orator of the day has spoken eloquently. While you 
have listened to his glowing words, you may have thought of 
others, who would gladly have stood before you to give expres- 
sion to the joyous sentiments suggested by the anniversary of 
our country's birth, and by the rare event that has called so 
many of the sons and daughters of the town from their scattered 
homes. Others, who have responded to sentiments proposed, 
have spoken words that have waked up sleeping memories, and 
recalled incidents of by-gone years. All these have spoken ; 
you have heard their words of cheer. 

It is not of these I desire to speak, but of the absent ones, 
whose hearts this day beat with patriotism as pure and as 
strong as do yours. Some are scattered through the different 
States, engaged in peaceful avocations. Others have taken up 
arms in defence of their country. All these speak. Perhaps I 
cannot better interpret their language than by giving incidents 
that have occurred in the life-history of some. 

On the 13th day of April, 1862, a staunch steamer, chartered 
by the governor of the State of Ohio, lay in the Tennesee River 
tied up at Pittsburgh Landing. Notice was soon circulated 
through the camp of the great army that then lay on that sadly 
memorable field, that the wounded soldiers of Ohio would be 
cared for, and removed to commodious hospitals nearer home. 
Among the first sufferers brought on board that hospital boat 
was a poor fellow whose leg was shattered by a musket-ball. 
One of those who carried the litter on which he was stretched 
was a tall, broad-shouldered man, wearing the uniform of a 
private soldier. I was soon busy dressing the wound. While 
the tall soldier watched the process, I asked his nativity, " New 
Boston, New Hampshire," he replied. Just then a gush of 



196 



blood from the wound demanded my attention, when it was 
stanched, and I looked up, the tall soldier was gone. During 
the afternoon and far into the night, I frequently saw the same 
brave, tender-hearted soldier, bringing in the wounded. Near 
midnight, when I was at leisure, the tall soldier was engaged in 
other duties, or taking his rest. I never knew his name nor he 
mine. His gentle, patient, long-continued efforts to relieve his 
suffering fellow-soldiers proved him one of nature's noblemen. 
He speaks not for himself alone. The heart of every son and 
daughter of the old native town will think with pride, that such 
a man first breathed God's air among these rugged hills. 

Another youthful son of the town, one pleasant day last year, 
was sauntering through the streets of a little town in Missouri. 
He was met by a red-whiskered, long-haired, uncombed, un- 
shaven, and unwashed, butternut-clad native, who, with oaths 
and coarse ribaldry, charged him with being a son of New Eng- 
land, and of loyalty to his country. That man, erect, showing 
every inch of stature with which God had endowed him, replied, 
" I am a son of New England, and I am loyal to my country 
and to her flag." The cowardly assassin shot him dead. When 
the names of brave dead, fallen during this rebellion, shall be 
enrolled, that of the martyred Richmond Cochran shall stand 
prominent, and will hold a cherished place in the hearts of 
many here assembled to-day. 

These instances of devotion to country, and to the good of 
fellow-men, do but epitomize the deeds of many of the absent 
sons of New Boston. The minister of the gospel, the lawyer, 
the doctor, the merchant, the mechanic and the farmer (for 
all these professions are by them represented), each in his 
sphere, nobly does his duty, and, if present here to-day, each 
would echo every noble sentiment that has been uttered in 
your hearing. The emigrant sons of New Boston do indeed 
speak for themselves, by the noble, manly deeds that fill up 
their daily life. They speak of whatsoever is pure and of good 
repute here, and of brighter hopes and more glorious prospects 
hereafter. In conclusion, permit me to propose, — 

The Fathers and Brothers at Home. May they unite with 
the absent ones in one long, loud shout, " Our country first, 
last, always one and undivided." 



PEELEY DODGE, ESQ, 



Mr. Dodge's ancestors are believed to have come from the 
North of Wales, and were among the early settlers in Massa- 
chusetts Bay. His father, William Dodge, came from Hamil- 
ton, Essex County, Mass., in 1787, and settled where his son, 
Samuel, now resides. Before coming to New Boston, he mar- 
ried Rachel Poland, and their children were three sons and six 
daughters, all of whom lived to have families. 

The subject of this sketch was the youngest son. He fitted 
for college at Pinkerton, Salisbury, and Francestown academies, 
and with Rev. E. P. Bradford. He entered Dartmouth Col- 
lege in 1820 ; subsequently went to Union College, whence he 
graduated in 1824, and read law with Titus Brown of Frances- 
town, and Nehemiah Eastman, of Farmington, and was ad- 
mitted to practice in 1828. He commenced practice at Fran- 
cestown, subsequently opened an office at New Boston, but in 
1832 removed to Amherst, and in 1839 was appointed Clerk of 
the Courts of Hillsborough County, which office he retained 
nearly eighteen years. 

In 1831, he married Harriet Woodbury, of Francestown, — a 
sister of the late Levi Woodbury, — and is now in the success- 
ful practice of law in Amherst, enjoying the comforts of afflu- 
ence and the confidence of the community. 







." i -: ore's 1 fn 




RESPONSE OE PEELEY DODGE, ESQ. 



The Lawyees of New Boston — At home and abroad. 

Mr. President, — 

This is an epoch in our lives' history. Our various tasks are 
forsaken for this joyous commingling of hearts, and rehearsals 
of human acts and Providential overrulings. We represent all 
classes and all avocations, — the tiller of the soil, the toiler in 
the shop, the merchant at his counter, the physician at the bed 
of sickness, the lawyer in his office, and the pastor in his study. 
And we here recognize the union of all these, the need of all 
these, to the highest well-being of society. All these have here 
spoken but the lawyer. In his behalf you call upon me to 
speak. This I do with pleasure. There existed, for a long 
time, a decided aversion to the legal profession among no incon- 
siderable portion of the community. But that has disappeared, 
and all intelligent men recognize the necessity of the profession 
to the execution of laws and the maintaining of justice. The 
rights of individuals would be in constant jeopardy but for those 
skilled in the law, in detecting fraud and exposing wickedness. 
The profession may sometimes serve to shield the wrongdoer, 
but a thousand times oftener does it bring to light the hidden 
works of darkness. The guilty, not the innocent, dread the 
lawyer, and the injured find him to be the friend in time of 
need. 

In 1772, when Hillsborough County was organized, there was 
no member of the legal profession between Amherst and Clare- 
mont. The first lawyer who attempted to establish himself in 
practice above Amherst, was Samuel Bell, afterwards Judge, 
Governor of the State, and Senator in Congress. He opened an 
office in Francestown ; but the people were greatly exasperated 
at his audacity, pronounced him an invader upon their rights, 
and threatened him with violence. But his manly deportment 



200 



and strict adherence to justice soon overcame their prejudice, 
and won their confidence. 

New Boston has never been an inviting field for the legal 
profession. Its location is not sufficiently central to attract 
business from surrounding towns, and the people have not 
sought to encourage litigation. Once on a time I opened an 
office here, but soon found that if there was bread to spare in 
any other region, it was not wise for me to remain and famish. 
No one else has had equal daring. And yet New Boston has 
contributed much to the support of lawyers in other towns. To 
their patronage Steele and Gove, Brown and Danforth, Hazel- 
ton, Sawyer, Parker, Means, and Atherton, have been greatly 
indebted. Is it certain that though this town boasts that it has 
no lawyer, it really has been for its interest ? There is, at least, 
room for doubt. Be that as it may, it is certain the lawyer 
here has gained no laurels. Nor has New Boston raised up 
many of her sons for the legal profession ; but of those she has 
given, there is no occasion for shame. William Willson became 
a leader, and rose to eminence. He was the son of Alexander 
Willson, born in that part of the town once known as Egypt, 
" because there was much corn there." He graduated at Dart- 
mouth College in 1797, settled in Ohio, and in 1823 became 
Judge of the Supreme Court in that growing State, and subse- 
quently was elected member of Congress, and died in 1827, 
aged 55. 

Of Josiah W. Fairfield, I need not speak. He has spoken for 
himself, in your presence, as no man can without commanding 
profound respect. Of Clark B. Cochrane this community will 
never be ashamed, so long as they can appreciate eloquence and 
approve of what is excellent. James Crombie, of New York, 
Lorenzo Fairbanks of Philadelphia, and Christopher C. Lang- 
dell, of New York, have already gained, or are rapidly gain- 
ing, eminence in the profession. Of my humble self I have 
nothing to say. Of the rest I can speak with pride. I am 
proud to know that the sons of New Boston adorn all the profes- 
sions, and not least, the legal. Other communities delight to 
do them honor. And it is not a little grateful to know that 
they are appreciated at home. And rest assured, Mr. President, 
that we will endeavor, in all coming time, to do credit to the 



201 



place of our birth, and give no occasion for the " old folks " at 
home to be ashamed of those whom they have sent forth upon 
the broad theatre of activity. 

Mr. Dodge prepared interesting biographical sketches of 
most of the legal gentlemen to whom he refers ; but as similar 
sketches precede their papers in this work, they have been 
omitted in his, while we append other names, with such facts 
as have come to hand. 

John Gove, son of Dr. Jonathan Gove, was born in New Bos- 
ton," Feb. 17, 1771, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1793, 
read law with W. Gordon, commenced practice in Goffstown in 
1797, and removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1802, and died the 
same year, aged 31. 

Charles Frederick Gove was the son of Dr. Jonathan Gove 
by his second wife. He was born May 13, 1793, graduated at 
Dartmouth College in 1817, read law with J. Forsaith, Dane 
Law School, commenced practice in Goffstown in 1820, where 
he remained till 1839, when he removed to Nashville, now 
Nashua, and represented that town in the State Legislature in 
1830, '31, '32, '33, '34. He was President of the State Senate 
in 1835, was Solicitor from 1834 to 1837, Attorney General from 
1837 to 1842, and appointed Circuit Judge of the Court of 
Common Pleas in 1842. Subsequently, he resigned his judge- 
si lip, and became Superintendent of the Nashua and Lowell 
Railroad, and died in 1850, aged G3. 

Judge Gove married Mary H. Gay, of Nashua, but left no 
children. 

Robert Clark Cochran is the son of the late John D. Coch- 
ran. He was born Nov. 4, 1813, and married Mary Means, 
daughter of Rev. E. P. Bradford, and lives in Gallatin, Miss., 
practising law. 

Jesse McCurdy is the son of the late James McCurdy ; his 
mother is the youngest child of the Rev. Solomon Moor. He 
graduated at Dartmouth College in the Class of 1852. He 
taught school several years in Mississippi, and is now practising 
law in Quitman, of that State. 

Christopher C. Langdell is the son of John Langdell ; his 
mother was Lydia, daughter of the late Joseph Beard, and sis- 



202 

ter of Jesse Beard, Esq. He fitted for college at Exeter Acad- 
emy, and graduated at Harvard, and is now practising law in 
the city of New York. 

Seth Fairfield is the son of Benjamin Fairfield, Esq., and a 
graduate of Waterville College, Me. He went into Mississippi, 
taught school some years, and is now in the practice of the 
legal profession in that State. 

Ninian Clark Betton was son of Samuel Betton, who came to 
New Boston from Windham, and married Anna Ramsey, sister 
of the wife of Ninian Clark, Esq., near whom Mr. Betton re- 
sided until his death, which occurred Oct. 9, 1790 ; and his wife 
died Nov. 23, 1790. These parents left two sons, Ninian Clark 
and James, the oldest being less than four years of age. James 
died in early manhood. Ninian, at the age of about five years, 
was placed under the care of Robert Boyd, whose wife was a 
kind-hearted woman, who, having no children of her own, loved 
those of other parents, and took great pleasure in caring for the 
orphan and needy. Here young Betton spent ten years of his 
childhood, always expressing great gratitude for the kindness 
of heart and the wise counsels of Mrs. Boyd. 

After his removal from New Boston, at the age of fourteen, 
he was sent to school for a while, and subsequently placed in a 
store, as clerk. But, having no taste for mercantile life, he re- 
solved to obtain a liberal education. He studied at Atkinson 
Academy, and entered Dartmouth College, whence he gradu- 
ated with the reputation of high scholarship, having the late 
Rev. Samuel Clark for his classmate. 

The following notice of Mr. Betton was written by a member 
of the Suffolk Bar, and appeared in one of the Boston news- 
papers on the day of his death, Nov. 19, 1856 : — 

" Death of a Member of the Suffolk Bar. — Died in 
this city, this morning, Ninian C. Betton, Esq., counsellor-at- 
law, aged 68 years. 

" Mr. Betton was a native of New Boston, N. H., and studied 
his profession under the direction of the late Hon. Ezekiel 
Webster, and afterwards under the direction of his distin- 
guished brother, Daniel Webster. 

" Mr. Betton was admitted to practice in this city in October, 



203 



1817, since which time, with a short interval spent in New 
Hampshire, he has resided with us in Boston. He was a well- 
bred lawyer, and an honest, upright man. He has performed 
all his duties, in every relation of life, faithfully, and goes to 
his tomb with the sincere regret and undissembled respect of a 
large circle of friends, who have long known and valued him 
for his sterling good sense and honest independence of charac- 
ter. Mr. Betton was well read^ in his profession, and was a 
skilful and safe counsellor. He never delayed an honest claim- 
ant in obtaining his just claim, and never aided a dishonest man 
in prosecuting an unjust demand." 

Mr. Betton, January 10, 1821, married Miss W. J., daughter 
of the late Silas Betton, whose wife was Mary, daughter of the 
distinguished Matthew Thornton, signer of the Declaration. 
They had three sons ; of whom one, George E., survives. He 
succeeds his father in the successful practice of the legal pro- 
fession in Boston. 



DR. JAMES H. CROMBIE. 



His father was Dr. James Crombie, who practised in Fran- 
cestown and Temple, and died in Deny. Dr. James H. Crom- 
bie studied medicine with his father and the late Dr. Amos 
Twitchell, of Keene, attending lectures at Woodstock, Vt., and 
Boston, Mass., and graduating at the medical department of 
Dartmouth College, 1838. He commenced practice the same 
year at Francestown, with his father, but removed to Derry, in 
1850, where he now resides, having an extensive business. He 
married Sarah Frances, daughter of Alexander Wilson, Esq., 
of Francestown, in 1844. 



KESPONSE OF DE. CEOMBIE. 



New Boston Physicians, at Home and Abroad. — Their skill to heal and power 
to console have made them welcome visitors in chambers of sickness. 

Mr. President, — 

I cheerfully respond to the sentiment just announced. Though 
I cannot claim the honor of being born in New Boston, yet my 
father did, and here his fathers' dust reposes, and here " my 
best friends and kindred " were born, and here many of them 
yet live. And so identified are all my associations and feelings 
with this town, that I find it difficult to realize that I was not 
born here. Born here or not, I love New Boston with all the 
affection of a dutiful son. And I thank you, Mr. President, 
for allowing me the privilege of enjoying and contributing 
something towards the interest of this hour. With so many 
familiar and loved faces, with so many cordial greetings, and 
such glorious memories as have been arrayed before us to-day, 
it may seem unkind to call up before you a succession of men 
with whom you associate all mortal diseases and nauseating 
remedies. And yet, the history of the physicians of this town 
is an important part of its whole history. Nor, I am constrained 
to believe, can it be denied that most of them had power to heal 
and to console. Many a chamber of sickness has been cheered 
by their presence, and many an aching heart has been com- 
forted by their words of sympathy. Indeed, it is this skill to 
heal and power to console which always makes the honest, 
christian physician a most welcome visitor at the bedside of the 
sufferer. And no other physician is worthy the confidence of 
the sick. A physician without respect for divine truth, and 
reverence for God, with no sympathy for the sufferer, is un- 
worthy the trust committed to him, however great his skill. 
Matthew Thornton was a christian physician, and is believed 
to be the first who practised in this town. He was born in 



208 



Ireland, 1714, the son of James Thornton, who emigrated to 
this country about 1717. Dr. Thornton commenced the prac- 
tice of medicine in Londonderry, and " acquired a high and 
extensive reputation as a physican, and, in the course of several 
years of successful practice, became comparatively wealthy." 
He became a proprietor of New Boston, and purchased a farm 
east of that now owned by Mr. George W. Clark, where he re- 
mained some years, and greatly endeared himself to the people. 
It will be remembered that, in 1745, Dr. Thornton joined the 
expedition against Cape Breton, as a surgeon in the New 
Hampshire division of the army, consisting of five hundred 
men ; and that at the commencement of the Revolutionary war 
he held the rank of a colonel in the militia. He was also com- 
missioned justice of the peace under the administration of 
Benning Wentworth, and was appointed president of the Pro- 
vincial Convention in 1775, and the following year was ap- 
pointed to represent the State of New Hampshire in Congress, 
and signed the Declaration of Independence. He removed to 
Merrimack, and died June 24, 1803, aged eighty-nine years. 

Dr. Thornton had great native wit, and loved a joke. Riding- 
past an old man whose occupation was the making of grave- 
stones, he said, " Well, Wyatt, do you not sometimes pray that 
people would die faster, that your business might increase ? " 
The old man calmly replied, " I cannot say but I have done a 
thing of the kind in my life, but there is no need of doing it 
any longer, for there is a fop of a thing by the name of Thorn- 
ton come to town, and he will kill off two while I can make 
gravestones for one ! " Of course Thornton put spurs to his 
horse. 

Mrs. Webster, of Boscawen, a granddaughter of Dr. Thorn- 
ton, relates the following incidents : Daniel Webster once 
called her attention to a story he was about to tell to a party of 
ladies and gentlemen in the orchard at the Elm Farm, in Frank- 
lin. Said Mr. Webster, " When I was a little boy I was very 
feeble, hardly considered worth raising ; but Judge Thornton 
came to my father's, on his way home from Thornton, where 
he had been to look after his farms, and in the morning the 
two walked into the orchard, sat down on those primitive 
rocks, to enjoy the pleasant prospect of Elm Farm and the 



209 



Merrimac River, and I lingered near to enjoy their conversa- 
tion. At length my father asked Dr. Thornton what he could 
do for his boy, Daniel. Dr. Thornton professionally examined 
me, and. then picked from the rock some moss, and said, ' Let 
his mother boil it in milk, and the lad drink freely of it.' It 
was done, and here I am, an able-bodied man, stout enough to 
wield a sledge-hammer. How much I am indebted to the hon- 
orable signer of the Declaration for my present health, God 
only knows ! " 

" Judge Thornton married Hannah Jackson, a beautiful young 
girl of eighteen years, whom he promised, when a child, to wait 
for and marry, as a reward for her taking some disagreeable 
medicine." 

Dr. Jonathan Gove came hereabout the year 1770. He was 
an excellent physician, and highly esteemed. Dr. Gove was a 
nervous, energetic man, fond of fun, and enjoyed a joke. He 
was riding on the Sabbath, at the time the Sabbath law was in 
operation, on business not connected with his profession, and 
was stopped by a tything-man, and asked where he was riding 
on the Sabbath ? His reply was, " Sir, I am a doctor, and that 
man is after me ! " referring to a man who happened to be 
riding behind him. The result was, both went on unmolested. 
He was a Tory, yet was promoted to all the offices at the dis- 
posal of the town. He passed through a scene of great excite- 
ment relative to small-pox, and finally removed to Goffstown, 
where he died. His son John graduated at Dartmouth Col- 
lege in 1793, and became a lawyer. His son Frederick was 
the late Judge Gove. 

Dr. McMillen was contemporary with Dr. Gove, and possessed 
some skill, and was followed by his son, Dr. Abraham McMillen, 
both dying in town. 

Dr. Eastman studied with Dr. Gove, and succeeded him for 
a few years, and then removed to Hollis. 

Dr. Lincoln succeeded Dr. Eastman ; was a pleasant man 
but not very skilful ; was an enterprising citizen, built a store 
and mills, but, becoming intemperate, met with reverses, and 
left town. 

Dr. William Cutter, from Jaffrey, succeeded him. His wife 
was an Evans, of Peterboro'. He had something to do with 

27 



210 



the digging up of the dead body of a child, and roused the 
indignation of the community. He returned to Jafirey. 

Dr. John Whipple was son of John Whipple, and was born 
April 29, 1776. He studied with Dr. Samuel Shepherd, of 
Brentwood, commenced practice in New Boston in 1800, and 
married, June 29, 1800, Hannah, daughter of Solomon Dodge. 
He was a successful practitioner, and a man of considerable 
business capacity. 

Dr. Winthrop Brown, from Maine, came here in the year 
1813 or 1814. He was one of three children at a birth. He 
stayed some four years, and had some practice. 

Dr. Dalton succeeded Dr. Brown. He came to town in the 
year 1818 or 1819, from Newburyport, Mass. He was a large, 
tall, fine-looking man, and won the favor of all. He was the 
only child of a sea-captain, his father dying when he was young. 
He was a christian man. 

Dr. Perkins succeeded Dr. Dalton. He married a daughter 
of John Cochran, Esq. He practised a few years, and aban- 
doned the profession for the ministry, and is now preaching in 
Wisconsin. 

Next came Dr. David Bradford. He was son of Rev. Moses 
Bradford, of Francestown ; he practised successfully some two 
or three years, and then removed to Montague, Mass., where he 
now resides. Then came Dr. Francis Fitch, son of Dr. Fitch, 
of Greenfield. He practised satisfactorily to his employers for 
several years, when he removed to Amherst, where he con- 
tinues a respectable practice. Dr. James Danforth is next in 
course. He is son of a very respectable lawyer in Tyngsboro', 
Josiah Danforth, formerly of Weare ; he graduated at the medical 
college at Hanover, very acceptably, in 1838, and commenced 
the practice of medicine in 1841, in which he has continued 
successfully ever since. In 1843, he married Margaret, 
daughter of Mr. William Clark ; she deceased some years since. 
Dr. Moses Atwood came next to town. He was son of Mr. 
David Atwood, of Lyndeboro'. He practised homeopathy, and 
was removed by death after a few months. Dr. Nelson P. 
Clark, who now practises in town, came last. He was born 
March 8, 1824. He is son of Samuel Clark, of Hubbardstown, 
Mass. He studied medicine at Concord, N. H., with George 



211 

Hains and Edward H. Parker, commencing practice in 1850, at 
Andover, N. H., and came to New Boston, 1857. January 15, 
1859, he married Susan P., daughter of Mr. W. W. Knowlton, 
of Northwood, N. H., and has an increasing business. 

We have now completed the list of physicians who have 
practised in this town. We now glance at those who have gone 
into other places. 

Dr. James Crombie, whose history is familiar to many of this 
audience, studied medicine with Dr. Benjamin Jones, of Lynde- 
boro', whose daughter he subsequently married, and commenced 
practice in Temple, N. H., in 1798. In 1820, he removed from 
Temple to Francestown, where he continued to practice until 
1850, when he removed to Derry. February, 1855, he died. 
Samuel Crombie, brother of the foregoing, studied medicine 
and practised in Waterford, Me., for a few years, and there died, 
a young man. 

Dr. AVilliam Ferson was son of James Ferson, and grandson 
of the early James Ferson, and graduated at Dartmouth Col- 
lege, in 1797 ; he practised medicine in Gloucester, Mass., and 
died there. I saw a gentleman, a resident of Gloucester, yes- 
terday, who told me that Dr. Ferson was a very successful 
practitioner in that place for several years ; that he held many 
responsible offices in town, and was treasurer of the Glou- 
cester Savings Bank, with a capital of three hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars ; that he was considered a man of strict vera- 
city, and highly respected. He died in 1853, aged seventy-nine. 

Dr. Alexander McCollum practised medicine in Pittston, 
Maine, where he yet resides. Dr. Samuel Gregg studied med- 
icine with Dr. Dalton, went to Medford, Mass., subsequently 
became a homeopathist, and removed to .Boston, where he now 
enjoys an extensive practice. Dr. Jeremiah Cochran, son of 
John Cochran, Esq., studied medicine with Dr. Dalton, and 
removed to Sandusky, Ohio, where, after some years of success- 
ful practice, he died. His brother Charles succeeded him, and 
is now favorably known in the practice of medicine in Toledo, 
Ohio. Dr. Horace Wason, son of James Wason, was born 
December, 4, 1817, and died November 13, 1847. He 
studied with Dr. Fitch, attended a course of lectures at Han- 
over, and graduated at Castleton, Vt. He commenced the 



212 



practice of medicine at Manchester, Mass., but soon abandoned 
the field, and died. He was a young man of much promise. 
Dr. Thomas Hamilton Cochran, son of John D. Cochran, took 
his degree of doctor of medicine at Hanover in 1840, com- 
menced practice in New Ipswich, in September of the same 
year, and continued there until 1853, when he removed to West 
Rutland, Vermont, and hi the winter of 1862-3, was ap- 
pointed As: istant Surgeon United States Army, in the hospital 
of Louisville, Kentucky. 

Dr. Daniel Mar den, son of Solomon Marden, studied medicine 
with Dr. Danforth, graduated at Hanover, and commenced 
practice at Goshen, N. H., and is now practising in Peru, Vt. 

We have good assurance that most if not " all these have 
obtained a good report," and have honored the place of their 
nativity. At home and abroad, their skill to heal and power to 
console have made them, not only welcome visitors in chambers 
of sickness, but blessings to those who have come within the 
range of their influence. And, in closing, permit me, Mr. 
President, to offer the following sentiment : — 

New Boston — a venerable centenarian ! — All honor to her ; 
to her worthy matrons and her noble sires. Her daughters 
have cheered and made happy many a fireside ; and her sons, 
like the sturdy oaks and majestic pines of their native forests, 
have nobly borne themselves against the winds and storms of 
life's conflict, successfully rising above what is base, and aspir- 
ing to what is ennobling. 

In addition to the interesting sketches above given by Dr. 
Crombie, we subjoin the following : — 

Nathaniel Peabody % was the son of Francis Peabody, who, 
about 1779, settled on what is now the Town Farm. Nathaniel 
studied medicine, graduating at Hanover in 1800, and practised 
in Massachusetts, and died in New Jersey. He married Eliza 
Palmer, and left four children : Nathaniel, now in Boston ; 
Elizabeth, who is unmarried, greatly distinguished as a teacher 
and authoress ; Mary Taylor, who became the wife of the Hon. 
Horace Mann, late president of Antioch College, and has her 
residence in Concord, Mass. ; and Sophia, who became the wife 
of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the celebrated poet. 



213 



Dr. Moses Atwoocl, it may be added to what Dr. Crombie has 
said, was born in Pelham, April 6, 1801, and died in New 
Boston, April 28, 1850. He married, for his first wife, Mary 
Lewis, of Francestown, November 24, 1835 ; and she died June 
21, 1844. His second wife was Julia Ann Chickering, of Am- 
herst, to whom he was married May 5, 1846. 

Dr. Atwood studied medicine with Dr. Israel Herrick, of 
Lyndeborough, and Dr. Luther Farley, of Francestown. 

He began the practice of medicine in North Lyndeborough, in 
1827 ; thence he removed to Deering, and thence to Frances- 
town. 

His practice was allopathic until 1841, when he studied 
homeopathy with Dr. Samuel Gregg, of Boston, and was the 
first American who practised homeopathy in New Hampshire, 
and the tenth in New England. 

In 1837, he removed from Francestown to Concord, where, 
under excessive labor, his health became impaired, and he re- 
tired to the quiet village of New Boston, where he died, greatly 
lamented. As a physician he ranked high, and was not less 
esteemed for the many excellences of his character. He left a 
widow and one son ; the son now lives in Francestown, and his 
widow is now the estimable wife of the Rev. Benjamin Clark, 
of Chelmsford, Mass. 

Dr. E. G. Kelley is the only child of John Kelley, who at the 
time of his son's birth lived on the. farm where Luther Colburn 
resides, but is now living in Newport. Dr. Kelley was born 
September 29, 1812 ; his mother's name was Betsey, daughter of 
Nehemiah Dodge, of New Boston. He studied medicine two 
years with Dr. Muzzy, then of Hanover, and one year at Phila- 
delphia, where he graduated at Jefferson Medical College in 
March, 1838. Since which time he has lived and practised 
dentistry chiefly in the city of Newburyport, Mass., where he 
now resides, devoting himself to horticultural pursuits, his 
residence being known as the " Evergreens" of Lord Dexter 
notoriety. Dr. Kelley married Hannah P., daughter of the Hon. 
E. S. Rand, of Newburyport, October 21, 1840, and has four 
children : Emily R., born August 11, 1841 : Edward A., born 
March 18, 1845, now a member of the second class in Dart- 
mouth College ; Mary H., born March 8, 1853 ; and George 
Wallace, born November 7, 1858. 



214 



Dr. Jonathan Gove was born in Lincoln, Mass. His parents 
were John Gove and Tabitha Livermore, their children being 
three sons and one daughter. Jonathan was born September 3, 
1746 ; graduated at Harvard College, studied medicine in Groton 
Mass., and settled in New Boston. He married Mary Hub- 
bard, of Groton, Mass., by whom he had five children : John, 
born February 17, 1771, and died in Chillicothe, Ohio ; Lucinda, 
born May 25, 1772, and died May 7, 1775 ; Frances, born 
November 27, 1773, and became the wife of Capt. John Cochran, 
known in later years as Esquire John Cochran, of New Boston ; 
Mary B., born January 7, 1775, and became the wife of 
Thomas Stark ; George Brydges Rodney, born December 20, 
1781, married Hannah Woodbury, of Weare, and is now living 
in Fort Covington, New York. 

After the death of his first wife, Dr. Gove married, for his 
second, Polly Dow, Jan. 6», 1791, by whom he had children 
as follows : Clarissa, born March 17, 1792, who became 
the wife of William McQuestion, of Bedford, and had three 
children, subsequently marrying, for her second husband, John 
Richards, of Goffstown, by whom she had three children ; 
Charles Frederick, who was born May 13, 1793, married 
Mary K. Gay, of Nashua, and died leaving no children ; Wil- 
liam Clark, who was born July 8, 1796, married Sally Neal, 
by whom he had three children, himself dying when a young 
man ; Lucretia, who became the wife of Dr. John Gilchrist, 
and died in Canada, leaving six children. 

Dr. Gove removed to Goffstown in 1794, consequently all his 
children but the last two were born in New Boston. Dr. Gove 
died in 1818, and his widow in 1837. 

Alexander McCollom was born Feb. 5, 1795. He fitted for 
the sophomore class in college, under Rev. E. P. Bradford, at 
Andover, Mass., and at Bangor, Me., under Professor Fowler. 
Here he commenced the study of medicine, under the instruc- 
tion of the celebrated Dr. Hosea Rich, and subsequently under 
Dr. Chandler, of Belfast, and yet later under Dr. Manning, of 
Merrimac, N. H. He attended a course of lectures at Bow- 
doin College, Me., and graduated at Dartmouth College. He 
commenced the practice of medicine in Windsor, Me., subse- 
quently removed to Palermo, and for nearly thirty years has 
resided at Pittston. 



215 



Dr. McCollom married, Oct. 19, 1830, Sarah Kimball, an 
adopted daughter and niece of the late Dr. Goodrich, of Mer- 
rimac, N. H. She was born Sept. 20, 1795. 

Their children are: Mary G., bom Sept. 21, 1831; Cath- 
erine E., born Feb. 28, 1833, and died an infant; Abel G., 
born Sept. 12, 1837. Of their two surviving children, Mary- 
became the wife of Dr. Edward Mead, of Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 
18, 1860, and in that city resides. Abel married Annie J. Da- 
vidson, of Wiscassett, Me., Aug. 4, 1861. 

For a more extended notice of the McCollom family, the 
reader may consult Biographical and Genealogical Sketches. 

Samuel Lynch is son of the late John Lynch, his mother be- 
ing a Kelso, sister of our worthy townsman, Robert Kelso. He 
was born April 6, 1837 ; he graduated at the Mercantile Acad- 
emy, at Boston, but subsequently read medicine in Norwich, 
Conn., and graduated from the University Medical College, in 
New York city, March 4, 1863. His residence is Saxonville, 
Mass. 



MILLS. 



In the year 1631, Belknap says that Capt. Mason sent eight 
Danes over into New Hampshire, " to build mills, saw timber, 
and tend them." And the first saw-mill in this State was built 
by them on Mason's plantation, at Newishewannock, in 1634, 
near Portsmouth. 

The first mills erected in New Boston, were on the middle 
branch of the Piscataquog, a little above the mills now owned 
by Daniel Gregg. The contract for these mills bears date Nov. 
25, 1736, and the contractor was " Joseph Wright, of Boston, 
in the County of Suffolk, in New England, housewright." He 
was to build for the proprietors, " with all convenient speed, a 
dam for a saw and grist mill, of the following dimensions, viz., 
two cells to be laid across the river, in the said New Hampshire, 
each sixty-five feet long and twelve inches square ; and if any 
cells are scarfed, each scarf not to be less than three feet, and 
eighteen cells up and down the river across the others, each a 
foot square and twenty-seven feet long, the dam to be raised 
eleven feet and a half high from the bottom of the cross cells, 
eighteen rafters each twenty-one feet long and nine inches square 
at least at the smallest end, which is to be framed into a plate 
at the head of the rafters, and eighteen rafters more to be 
framed into the heads of the rafters before mentioned, and four- 
teen feet in length and nine inches square each, eighteen studds 
of eleven feet each, eighteen more of eight foot long, eighteen 
more of five foot in length, each to be seven inches square ; 
each end of the dam to be of stone four feet thick at the bot- 
tom and three feet thick at the top, one foot and half above the 
rolling-dam upon a level to a pitch-pine tree at the east side, 
and upon the west on a level to the hill ; the wall of the dam to 
be double-boarded up and down, and sufficiently gravelled for 



218 



such a dam ; and upon the west side of said river to build the 
saw-mill to carry one saw, and to find two good saws and all 
other materials suitable for such a mill to be fitted for working, 
with a roof framed and fitted for boarding ; and to make a flume 
for a grist-mill on the east side of the river, in the rolling dam, 
suitable for a grist-mill ; all the timber for the above work to 
be of good sound white-oak, except the plates for the mill and 
the roof, the rolling-dam to be planked from the bottom with 
white-oak plank half-way up the rafters, the remainder may be 
done with pine, all the plank to be two inches thick ; the whole 
of the abovesaid work to be done well, substantial, and in work- 
manlike manner, to the satisfaction of said committee ; and the 
mill to be made suitable to saw twenty feet in length, and to 
build the said mill and dam on the middle branch of Piscata- 
quaog river aforesaid, at the mill-lot laid out by Jeremiah Cum- 
ings, surveyor, by order of Mr. Gershom Keys, the whole work 
to be performed according to two draughts interchangeably 
signed by the said committee and the said Wright, and the 
above timber and work to be fitted and completed on or before 
the fifteenth day of July next, according to the rules of art." 

The committee for the proprietors agree to pay Wright " the 
sum of three hundred pounds in bills of credit on the province 
of the Massachusetts Bay, or Colonys of Connecticutt and 
Rhode Island, in manner following, viz., one hundred and fifty 
pounds thereof within fifty days next after the date of these 
presents, and the remaining sum of one hundred and fifty 
pounds when the said stuff and work shall be provided and fin- 
ished in all respects as aforesaid." 

Ageeeably to this contract, the first payment was made Dec. 
6, 1736, and, for aught that appears, the mills were completed 
as by contract, and in 1740 the proprietors report to the effect 
that the work had been executed. How long these mills were 
operated is not known ; but there is reason to believe that the 
proprietors conveyed their right in the mills and the mill-lot to 
Zachariah Emery, agreeably to the following vote, Feb. 19, 
1741 : " Voted, that the mill and mill-lot, together with the 
dam, be disposed of by the committee to Mr. Zachariah Emery, 
on the best terms they can, or to any other person or persons, 
as they shall have opportunity." 



219 



This Mr. Emery had just completed " a good and sufficient 
cart bridge twelve feet wide, railed on each side, over the mill 
branch of the river, with good abuttments on each side," and 
" cleared a wood on the southwest side, one rod in width, up to 
the road which Mr. Joseph Wright cleared to the saw-mill, for 
thirty pounds, in bills of credit." And nothing more is heard 
of the mills after this transaction of the proprietors. Yet it is 
well known that these were of great service to the first settlers 
for some years. 

Walker's Mills were built in 1753. In the deed of the " Ma- 
sonian Heirs," in 1751, "five hundred acres of land were re- 
served for the grantees, to be by them disposed of for encour- 
agement for building and supporting mills in said township." 
And March 31, 1752, at a meeting of proprietors at the " Royal 
Exchange Tavern, Boston," it was voted that the "committee 
agree with some suitable person or persons to build a saw and 
grist mill in said township, and that they be empowered to give 
a deed of sale for what land they shall think proper for that 
purpose." 

It appears that the committee agreed with Andrew Walker 
to erect mills ; since Feb. 8, 1753, the proprietors voted, " That 
Andrew Walker, who has agreed with the committee to build 
the saw and grist mill in said town, have free liberty to flow the 
meadow swamp next to the mills above the land he is to have 
for building the mills, upon a branch of the same stream, for 
the term of seven years from this time, and after that, to flow 
it according to the law of the Province of New Hampshire." 

A lot of land was given Walker around the place where he 
was to erect the mills, beside the five hundred acres reserved for 
that purpose by the " Masonian Heirs." Walker built his mills 
where now a saw-mill stands, owned by Bently and Dodge, on 
the Middle Branch, having given a bond of five hundred pounds 
for the faithful performance of his obligations, which were, to 
keep in good running order a saw and grain mill, and to use 
both for the convenience of the inhabitants of the township for 
moderate compensation. But Walker proved an uncomfortable 
man, and did not trouble himself to accommodate the settlers of 
Xew Boston for small compensation, when he could use his mills 
for other people with greater profit. Hence, serious complaints 



220 

were preferred against him, and fihe proprietors, November 28, 
1758, instructed Thomas Cochran and John McAllister "To in- 
form Andrew Walker (the Mill-Man) that great complaints are 
made from the inhabitants of his ill behavior and bad treatment 
to them, which will induce a prosecution of his obligation of 
five hundred pounds for his good performance towards the set- 
tlers, to be put in suit against him by the Committee, unless he 
conforms to the terms of his articles on which the Mill was 
founded, and the Mill lott was given him." 

But Walker was not the man to mend his ways at once, and 
additional charges were preferred against him, so that the pro- 
prietors, August 31, 1759, discuss the question of " suing 
Andrew Walker (the Mill Man), unless he give further satis- 
faction, complaints having been made that his Mills are out of 
order, and that he exacts on the inhabitants for sawing boards, 
and very disobliging." Walker seems to have had things much 
in his own way, and the enterprising conquerors of the forests 
soon erected other mills, and ceased to pay tribute to Walker 
the " Mill Man." 

These early mills were of great advantage to the settlers, and 
no town in New Hampshire has better water-privileges for the 
kind of mills here needed, and no town has had a greater 
number of them. Other towns were for many years debtors to 
them. Francestown, Lyndeborough, Antrim, and towns even 
more remote, in their early settlements depended upon these 
mills to grind their grain and saw their boards. 

Deacon Thomas Cochran, soon after the erection of Walker's 
Mills, built a corn-mill on a small stream near his residence, 
which greatly accommodated the inhabitants at the centre and 
in the east part of the town. This mill lasted many years. 

Capt. Ira Gage's Mill. * This was a saw and corn mill. It 
was built by Benjamin Dodge, and has been owned by George 
Melvin, Dr. Grovenoer, of Pelham, Dole Butler, Josiah Gage, 
and then by his son, Capt. Ira Gage, who sold one-half his right 
to David Butterfield, who has put in machinery for making 
boxes of various kinds, giving employment to several persons ; 
also a planing-machine, and a lathe for turning metals. 

* We are indebted to N. C. Crombie, Esq., for most of the facts interwoven in the 
following brief sketches. — Editor. 



221 



King's Mill. This was a saw and flouring mill, built by Dea- 
con Jesse Christy, subsequently owned by Col. John and Wil- 
liam Crombie. It was consumed by fire about 1808, and rebuilt 
by the Crombies. Subsequently it was owned by Henry Clark, 
then by Peter and Benjamin Hopkins, afterwards by Jesse Pat- 
terson, then by Jerry and Luke Smith, and now it is owned by 
Jonathan King, by whom it has been rebuilt and greatly im- 
proved. As a flouring-mill, it has no superior in this region. 
Mr. King has introduced some additional machinery for making 
pails, mackerel-kits, etc. 

John'McLaughlen's grain-mill was built near where the late 
Moses Peabody lived. It was for many years of vast benefit to 
the central part of the town, and ceased to be used about 1810. 
Deacon Robert White tended it for many years. 

Campbell's Mill. This was built by Robert Campbell ; being 
framed by Samuel Christy, the father of the present Mr. Jesse 
Christy. Thomas Campbell subsequently owned it, and now it 
belongs to his son, Daniel Campbell, Esq. It has always been 
used as a saw-mill, and a great amount of timber has here 
been sawed. 

Samuel Marden's Mill was near where the late Mr. Jonathan 
Marden lived, by whom it was subsequently owned. It has now 
gone to decay. 

Morgan's Mill was at first a saw and grain mill ; now it is 
used only for lumber. It was built by Josiah Morgan and 
David Starrett, then it was owned by Zechariah Morgan, and 
rebuilt by Levi Starrett, and now it is owned by Zechariah 
Morgan. 

Hadley's Mill, saw and grain, was built by Leslie Gregg ; 
subsequently, it came into the possession of Lieut. William 
Dodge ; afterwards, it was owned by Samuel Dodge, then suc- 
cessively by William Dodge, George Hardy, John Giddings, 
and Mr. Hadley. 

Warren's Mill was built by Robert and Josiah Warren. The 
frame was raised March 27, 1805, the day on which Zebiah 
Warren (daughter of Robert), now the wife of Mr. Jesse 
Christy, was born. This mill was subsequently owned by John 
B. Warren, then 'by Samuel M. Christy and Dunlap, now by S. 
M. Christy. 



222 



Marden's Mill, saw and shingle, was built . by Solomon Mar- 
den, and is now owned by his son, Samuel. 

McLaughlen's Saw-mill was built by David McLaughlen, and 
was subsequently owned by Francis Marden, and then by Na- 
than Merrill. 

Marden's Saw-mill, near Solomon Marden's, on the Piscata- 
quog River, was built by Nathan and Francis Marden, after- 
wards owned by Porter Kimball, and was burned, and never 
rebuilt. 

Thomas Parker's Saw-mill was built between Benjamin Colby 
and Alfred E. Cochran's. It was operated for a number of 
years, and suffered to go to'decay. 

William Christy's Saw-mill was built by him, between the 
last mill and Moses Wood's shop, on Meadow Brook. It was 
at length, about 1810, taken down and carried to Mount Yer- 
non. 

Hopkins's Mill was built by Major James McMillen ; after- 
wards owned by John Crombie and David Dodge ; then by N. 
C. Crombie ; then by James Wilder, by whom it was rebuilt ; 
then by Jerry Smith ; then by James and John Christy ; then 
by David A. McCollom, and now by Benjamin Hopkins. Clap- 
boards and shingles are sawed here. 

Wallace's Grain-mill was built by Dr. Luke Lincoln and 
William B. Dodge, afterwards owned by Abner Dodge, then by 
Deacon Isaac Peabody, then by William B. Dodge, and now by 
Robert Wallace, by whom it has been rebuilt, and in whose 
hands it has waxed old. A first-rate flouring-mill here is greatly 
needed, and must, in time, be had. 

Smith's Saw and Shingle mill was built by Moses and Frances 
Peabody, in 1810, and is now owned by Sandy Smith. 

White's Grain-mill was built by James Adams, afterwards 
owned by John White. It was built early in the history of the 
town, a little south of Mr. Benjamin Dodge's house, in the 
north part of the town, on the Middle Branch of the Piscata- 
quog. 

Deacon Thomas Smith's Saw-mill was built near White's 
Mill, on the same stream, by his father, and for many years did 
efficient service, though it, together with the grain-mill near by, 
is among the things that are past. 



223 



Elias Dickey's Saw-mill was built by James Willson and oth- 
ers, and rebuilt by Mr. Dickey. This, too, has passed away, 
the timber in its vicinity having disappeared, as in the case of 
others. 

John Cochran's Saw-mill was built at the foot of Cochran's 
Hill, on the south, on a small stream, and has disappeared. 

William Andrew's Saw-mill was built by "Honest" Peter 
Cochran, and came into the possession of his son, Deacon 
Abraham Cochran. After his death, it was owned by G-reear 
and Dodge, and is now owned by Mr. Andrews. 

Perry Richards' Saw-mill was built many years ago, and 
owned for a while by Mr. Parker, but is now owned by Mr. 
Richards, and is in active operation. 

Capt. John Willson's Saw-mill was built by him, southeast 
of Dickey's Mill, on a small stream running into the Piscata- 
quog, and continued not many years. 

Gregg's Mill (saw, shingle, and lath) has always been owned 
by the Greggs. Joseph Gregg rebuilt it, and it is now owned 
by his son Daniel. This is on the Middle Branch. 

Piam Orne's Mill was in the southeast part of the town, and 
was used only for sawing lumber, and was owned by no one 
besides him after it came into his possession. 

Woodbury's Saw-mill was built in the north part of the town, 
near John H. Gregg's Mill, by Leslie Gregg, about 1795, for 
Joshua Woodbury and others. It was rebuilt by Benjamin 
Woodbury and others, and has now disappeared. 

John H. Gregg's Mill was built by Andrew Walker. James 
Cams subsequently owned a part or all of the mill ; then it 
came into the hands of James Walker, son of Andrew, and 
James Buxton and David Tewksbury. In 1821, Simeon and 
Benjamin bought it, and, after several transitions, it became 
the property of N. N. Philbrick, in 1850, who sold to John 
H. Gregg, in 1855, the present owner. 

David Willson built a saw-mill on Bogg Brook, in the east 
part of the town. 

Capt. Ezra Dodge had a saw-mill in the north part of the town, 
near where Mr. Luffkin now lives, which was in time removed 
to Weare. 

Luther Colburn's saw and shingle mill was built by Ephraim, 



224 

his father, on Middle Branch, in the west part of the town, and 
is in active operation. Luther Colburn is the present owner. 

Frederick Bell built a saw and shingle mill, in the east part 
of the town, and which is now owned by John M. Holt. 

James Barnard built a saw-mill, in the east part of town, 
which was afterwards owned by John Hazelton. 

Mr. OdelPs saw, shingle and lath mill, was built by Nathan 
Merrill, afterwards owned by Benjamin Hopkins, who sold to 
Mr. Odell. 

Bailey's Saw-mill was built by Bailey and Sargent, in the 
north part of the town, and subsequently owned by Joseph 
Cochran, Esq., and yet later by John Brown. 

A wire-mill was erected by Holmes, Kendal, and Crombie, 
near what is now King's Mill. This was operated for a while, 
but did not prove renumerative and was given up. Axes and 
hoes were also here manufactured. 

This establishment, after a few years, was converted into a 
carding and clothing mill, by John Gage. Mr. Gage was suc- 
ceeded by Dea. Marshall Adams, who continued the business 
until within a few years with good success. 

Another carding-mill was connected with Frances Peabody's 
Mill, and a large business was done there. 

The first carding-mill in town was connected with Leslie 
Gregg's Saw-mill, and was successfully operated for many years. 

Another carding and clothing mill was built, near John 
McLaughlen's Mills, and operated many years by John Kelso ; 
subsequently he prosecuted the business in the shop occupied 
by Mr. Flanders. 

A mirror-frame factory was successfully operated by Sandy 
Smith, through Wisewell and Fuller, for a few years, succeeded 
by a peg factory, operated by S. Smith. 

Morgan and Andrew's Bedstead Factory was operated for a 
while in the western part of the town, and was destroyed by 
fire ; it was rebuilt by Levi Starrett, and is now used for man- 
ufacturing bobbins. 

Andrew's Chair and Knob Factory was built by Dea. Issachar 
Andrews, for a clapboard mill, and is now owned by his son 
John W. Andrews, and is doing a good business under his man- 
agement ; connected with his establishment is a threshing-mill. 



225 



An axe factory has been successfully operated by G. D. 
Neville ; his axes find a ready sale. A threshing-mill by the 
same is successfully operated. 

A door factory was built in 1852, by Neil and Rodney 
McLain, giving employment to several men, and the business 
is highly remunerative. 

Connected with this is a piano-forte frame factory, operated 
until recently by Parley and Pearsons, now by Farley. This 
gives constant employment to several men. The wood-work is 
all executed here, and the cases sent to Boston ready for the 
metallic parts. 

A planing machine is here also owned and operated by N. 
C. Crombie, Esq. 

29 



CASUALTIES, SUICIDES, ETC. 



James Smith, son of Thomas, the first settler in town, was 
found frozen to death on the road between his father's, in the 
northeast part of the town, and Parker's. 

James Cochran, son of the first Dea. Thomas C, residing 
on Cochran Hill, was thrown from a vicious horse, near the 
dwelling of the present Dea. S. L. Cristy, and died from the 
injury in 1772, aged 40. 

William Henry was killed by the falling of the limb of a tree, 
December 20, 1813, on the farm owned by Daniel Dodge ; he 
was passed middle life, and left a large family. 

A son of William Douglass was* killed by being crushed 
between the hub of a cart-wheel and a gate-post, when in the 
employ of Samuel Wilson. 

Capt. Matthew Fairfield was killed by the falling of a tree, 
February 11, 1813 ; then living where E. Parker resides. 

A son of Rev. Solomon Moor, Witter Davidson, born May 6, 
177-!, when a lad, was killed by the falling of a tree. 

Samuel Cooledge, son. of John Crombie, Esq., was killed by 
the falling of a cart upon him, June 11, 1814, aged 4. 

A young man by the name of Dole, was killed by lightning in 
the west part of the town, about 1822. 

Samuel M. Livingston was killed by falling from the tan- 
nery of Samuel Trull, Esq., October 30, 1829, aged 49. 

Nathan Merrill was found dead in the road. Tradition says 
that in the early settlement of the town an erratic, visionary sort 
of a man was found dead in so small a pool of water that foul 
play or suicide was suspected. A jury was called, on which 
was a broad-spoken son of Erin, who acted as chairman, and 
when inquired of by the justice for the result of their investiga- 
tion, replied, "Yer Honor: we brought'in a verdict of felo- 



228 



nious wilfull murther ! But jest to soften it down a little, we 
ca'd it accidental" ■ 

Tradition says, that in the spring of the year, in the early 
settlement of the town, the body of a man was found near the 
Great Meadow, in the west part of the town ; who he was or 
how he came by his death is not affirmed ; his body was found 
near the camp where some cattle had been fed during the 
winter, which had been driven up from Londonderry, as was 
the custom for many years. The grass in the Meadows of New 
Boston was abundant and nutritious, and, as it could not be 
carried to Londonderry, farmers there sent their cattle to the 
Meadows with one or more to care for them during the winter. 

Capt. John McLaughlen, who resided on Bradford's Hill, and 
carried on an extensive business in tanning, near the house of 
Sidney Hills, and packed much beef for the market, and built 
mills and kept a store, experiencing some reverses in fortune, 
was found drowned in a well in the east corner of his field. 
The late Luther Richards was on the jury of inquest, who, in 
speaking of the result of the investigation, said " As we could 
not say, as no one saw him, that he came by his death inten- 
tionally, we thought it would be most in harmony with the 
feelings of the community to say, accidental, and that was 
our verdict." 

In a little book in which the first Jacob Hooper kept a record 
of deaths in town from 1808 to 1828, the following is found : 
" The 29th of November, about seven and a half in the even- 
ing, we Sensibly felt the shock of an Earthquake, 1814." 

The wife of Capt. Gray hung herself, on the night of the in- 
stallation of Rev. Solomon Moor, in the house now owned by 
Daniel Dodge. Gray had been a sea-captain, and foul play 
was suspected, as the knot in the rope around her neck was a 
genuine sailor knot. When asked why he did not cut her down 
when he first found her, replied, that " he put his hand to her 
mouth and her breath was cold ; so he knew she was dead." 

In 1854, a young man sought to win the hand of a young 
lady, and being unsuccessful resolved to take her life, which he 
effected and then took his own with the same instrument, ex- 
pressing a desire before he died to be buried in the same grave 
witli her who had just fallen by his hand. 



229 



The following inscription on lior tombstone, not only serves 
to preserve the historic fact, but to show to what wondrous 
heights of sublimity the muse will rise when so tragical an 
event transpires. 

" Sevilla, daughter of George and Sarah Jones, murdered by Henry N. 
Sargeant, January LS, 1854, a3t. 17 years and 9 months. 

Tims fell this lovely blooming daughter 
By the revengeful hand — a malicious Henry 
When on her way to school he met her 
\ini wiili a sis self-cocked pistol shot her." 

Charles Small was murdered, September 7, 1840, by one 
Thomas, of Amherst, near the McCollom tavern, on the road 
to Amherst. 

Mr. Benjamin F. Blaisdell, of Goffstown, came to New Boston, 
and bought the farm, now owned by Mr. Shedd, and entered 
into mercantile connections. His family consisted of his wife, 
who was Clarissa J. Kimball of Goffstown, their four children, 
and his widowed mother. In the winter of 184!», Letitia Blais- 
dell, an adopted daughter of the late father of Mr. Blaisdell, 
who had been working at Manchester after his removal to New 
Boston, came to visit in his family. At her own request, the 
night after her arrival, she slept with her adopted mother. The 
next morning the old lady was taken sick in a strange way, 
soon became, Insensible and died the next morning, aged about 
80. After the death of Mr. Blaisdell's mother, Letitia went to 
Wcntworth, and spent about four weeks, and returned Feb. 
16, 1849. The next day after her return a son, a child about 
two years and a half old, was taken sick, and after twelve 
hours of suffering died, the physicians affirming that in some 
way the child must have been poisoned, yet no suspicions rested 
on any person. 

Soon after the burial of the child, Mr. Blaisdell and his wife 
were taken sick, while at tea with every symptom of poison, 
but by timely aid were relieved. Suspicions now began to rest 
on Letitia, and she soon confessed her guilt: that she had ad- 
ministered morphine both to the aged mother, and the little 
child ; and the same in the tea which Mr. and Mrs. Blaisdell 
drank ; and that she had provided herself with strychnine if the 
morphine failed ; that she held a forged note against Mr. 



230 



Blaisdell, and intended to destroy the whole family. This was 
undertaken from no ill-will towards any member of the family, 
but evidently with the impression that if they were all out of the 
way she could take possession of the property. To this horrid 
crime she affirmed she had been impelled by the counsel and 
assistance of another person. She was arrested, tried, and con- 
demned to be hung, but this sentence was commuted to impris- 
onment for life ; yet in 1861, she was pardoned out by Gov. 
Goodwin, and she subsequently married a man, who had served 
a period in the same prison, but with no prospects of rest in this 
world. 

In the early history of the town, like all new settlements, fires 
were not unfrequent, but during the present century the de- 
struction of property by fire has been very small. 

A store and dwelling-house, owned by Thomas Stark, son-in- 
law of Dr. Jonathan Gove, were consumed on the ground 
where now stands the large house, on Cochran Hill, erected by 
the late John D. Cochran. This was not far from 1800. 

The barn of Dea. Adams was struck by lightning, and burned, 
in 1824. 

The buildings of the late Dea. Solomon Dodge were burned 
October 80, 1829 ; and those of his brother Davis, within the 
same year, November 12. 

The barn of Dea. S. L. Cristy was struck by lightning, and 
burned, October 18, 1852, his dwelling being saved by a sudden 
providential change in the direction of the wind. 

The barn of the late Dea. Bennett was burned in the early 
part of the of the present century. It occurred in4he night, 
and but few persons could be gathered to render assistance. 
The Rev. Mr. Bradford, then preaching as a candidate, and 
boarding in the family of Ninian Clark, Esq., first gave the 
alarm, and was first at the scene of destruction. To save the 
house, some smaller buildings and fences had to be removed, 
and Mr. Bradford rendered such essential service that he was 
often afterwards compared to Samson walking off with the gates 
of Gaza. 

Mrs. Hannah Hines, daughter of the late Mr. Rollins, was 
shockingly burned on Saturday evening about nine o'clock, 
December 12, 1863, by her clothes taking fire at the open 



231 



door of her stove. She survived in great agony until the next 
morning, and died about seven o'clock, aged 33, leaving a 
daughter about three years old. In her intense agony, she was 
wonderfully sustained by a calm hope in Jesfis Christ. 

A man was killed, at the raising of a house of Andrew Beard, 
where James Buxton now lives. 

In 1807, John, son of William Beard, died from the kick of 
a horse, in twenty-four hours after the injury was received, 
aged 14. 

In 1858, a Mr. Sweetland was found frozen to death in the 
south part of the town, evidently the result of intoxication. 

May 22, 1855, Mr. John Lynch, in the west part of the town, 
was found dead in his pasture, the contents of a musket having 
passed into his head, accidentally, as was believed by his 
friends. 

July 22, 1830, Mr. Jonathan Gove Kelso died from excessive 
heat, while laboring at hay making. 

The spotted fever prevailed in New Boston greatly in 1814, 
and, to a limited extent, in 1815. 

Betsey Cochran hung herself, about March 31, 1828. 

Mrs. Benjamin Dodge hung herself, about fifty years ago. 

In 1854, Mr. Willson, son of Charles Willson, was run over 
by a horse and carriage, on a Sabbath day, while descending 
the hill from the Presbyterian meeting-house, and killed. 

Two dwelling-houses, belonging to Dea. Peter McNiel, were 
consumed by fire, one in 1837 and the other in 1838. 

Daniel T. Gregg's house and shop were burned March 17, 
1837. 

The barn of Ezra Morgan was struck by lightning and con- 
sumed, in 18 — . 

The barn of Mr.Nourse was consumed by fire in 1856. 

Isaac Giddings, son of the late Joseph Giddings, was drowned 
in Boston April 11, 1836, aged 26 ; he fell between the boat 
and the landing. 

Mr. Joseph Giddings died Feb. 17, 1835, and his mother the 
same day, of small-pox ; seven others in the family were ill with 
the same disease, but recovered. 

Luke Giddings was run over by a cart-wheel, and killed in- 
stantly, April 20, 1826, aged 46. 



232 



Absalom Dodge, in 1823, aged 15, was killed in the woods, 
accidentally. 

About 1807, a child of Dea. Isaac Peabody was drowned 
near his mills, aged two or three years. 

Harry Robinson, a colored man, was found dead in a field 
owned by Jacob Butler, in the summer of 1825. He had been 
dead some two or three days before found. 

Ephraim Whiting was accidentally drowned Oct. 31, 1842, 
in Brookline, Mass. 

In 1836, about the 29th of November, Elias Dickey, father 
of the late Elias Dickey, was found dead in Francestown in the 
road. 

Samuel Twiss, father of Mrs. John Hill, was killed in Oct. 
1799, by the falling of a tree. His wife died, aged 96 years 5 
months, with faculties nearly unimpaired. 

Jonathan Griffin was accidentally shot at Parker's, in Goffs- 
town, about 1800. 

Mrs. William Parker committed suicide, while laboring un- 
der insanity, in 1845. 

Robert Livingston's house was burned, many years ago, when 
all were absent except their old negro, Scipio, who perished in 
the flames. 

William Campbell's house was consumed by fire about 1820. 

Robert Boyd's house, many years ago, was destroyed by fire. 

The house of David Colburn, near the year 1810, was burned 
by fire. 

About the year 1830, Ann Griffin, and the year 1835, Han- 
nah Wilson, disappeared from the Poor Farm, and have never 
been heard from. 



233 



BILLS OF MORTALITY, 

FROM 1S08 TO 1828 AS KEPT BY MR. JACOB HOOPER — FROM 1830 TO 1803 BY 
MR. JOSEPH GIDDINGS. 



1808.. 


..19 


1823. 


...19 


1838.. 


..16 


1853 38 


1809.. 


..13 


1824. 


...24 


1839.. 


..40 


1854 45 


1810.. 


.. 3 


1825. 


...25 


1840. . 


..26 


1855 37 


1811.. 


..13 


1826. 


...33 


1841.. 


..34 


1856 29 


1812.. 


..14 


1827. 


...23 


1842.. 


..18 


1857 38 


1813.. 


..19 


1828. 


... 6 


1843.. 


..35 


1858 34 


1814.. 


..54 


From Jan. 


to June. 


1844.. 


..19 


1859 ...23 


1815.. 


..25 


1830. 


...21 


1845.. 


..20 


1860 22 


' 1816 . 


..17 


1831. 


...20 


1846.. 


..34 


1861 21 


1817. . 


..13 


1832. 


..35 


1847.. 


..24 


1862 24 


• 1818.. 


..23 




. .24 


1848.. 


..25 


1863 30 


1819.. 


..29 


1834. 


..21 


1849.. 


..28 





1820.. 


..11 


1835. 


..20 


1850.. 


..21 


Total...l340 


1821.. 


..13 


1836. 


..25 


1851.. 


..28 


in a little more 




..22 


1837. 


..20 


1852.. 


..35 


than 52 years. 



GRAVEYARD S. 

As early as 1756, measures were contemplated for laying out 
a graveyard, together with the locating a site? for a meeting- 
house. But, although the two objects are repeatedly referred 
to afterwards as being inseparable, yet, when the meeting-house 
was located by the committee, July 24, 1763, no allusion is 
made to a burial-place, except to say that they have selected a 
place for the meeting-house near where a little child is buried. 
This child was, it is believed, a daughter of Capt. George 
Christy, and it is believed that this place, near the Presbyterian 
Church at the centre of the town, had been selected for this 
purpose before the appointment of the committee, and to select 
a place for a graveyard was not made a part of their business. 
We find no record, respecting it earlier than March 26, 1771, 
when the town voted " that all the inhabitants in said town, 
excepting such as incline to bury at the Burying yard by John 
Smith's, work on the Graveyard by the meeting house two 
dayes, each man, or pay three shillings for each daye's neglect. 
Voted that William Clark have the charge of said work." 

March 17, 1788, the town " voted to chuse 3 men on each 
side of the River to lay out the Graveyards and stake the 
Bounds, and vendue the fencing of them to the lowest Bidder, 
and also the clearing them. 

" Voted that Capt. John McLaughlin, Wm. Clark Esq., and 

30 



234 



John Cochran Esq., be the Committee for the South side of 
S d Town. 

" Voted that Dea. John Smith, Capt. Wm. Boyes and James 
Ferson Ju'r be a Committee on the North side of S d Town." 

Agreeably to this vote, the committee for the south part of 
the town surveyed and laid out the ground as follows : — 

" Beginning at the South West Corner at a Stake & Stones, 
then running East 4 Degrees North to a Stake and Stones, 13 
Rods — then North 3 Degrees West to a Stake and Stones, 14 
rods — then West 4 Degrees South to a Stake and Stones, 13 
Rods — then South 4 Degrees East to the Bounds first men- 
tioned. William Clark Surveyor. 
" A true Record attest, Jon'a Gove, T. Clerk." 

Said committee " give notice that the fencing & clearing the 
Grave Yard (by the meeting-house) will be sold at public ven- 
due on Monday the fifth day of May, 1788 ; that the clearing 
of said yard wilj. be set up by itself, and to be faithfully done 
by the tenth day of June next — the clearing must be six feet 
outside the stakes. The Wall to be four feet high and in such 
proportion as to admit of a stick of Timber ten Inches broad on 
the top. And the purchaser is also to hew said stick of Timber 
in a triangular Form (of white Pine) and place it on the Top 
of said wall. 

" The four sides of said Wall to be put up separately, one 
side at a time, and be completed by the first day of October." 

The clearing of the graveyard was struck off to David Cald- 
well for £1 4s. 6d. 

The south side wall was struck off to John Cochran, Sen., 
for 5s. 6d. per rod. 

East side of said yard to Noah Dodge, at 5s. per rod. 

West side of said yard was struck off to Daniel Dane, at 6s. 
per rod. 

North side of said yard to Robert Campbell, at 6s. per rod. 

He who should build the south side wall was required " to 
build a Gate in the same." 

There is no record of the doings of the committee for the 
graveyard in the north part of the town, but it is believed that 
they, in like manner, laid out, cleared, and walled a lot. How 



235 

early that ground began to be used is not known, but tradition 
says the first persons buried there were children of Dea. John 
Smith. He had two children sick with dysentery, and he went 
to Chester for medicine, but before he could return one died, 
and the other soon followed. 

Some of the oldest inscriptions to be found there are the fol- 
lowing : — 

Abraham Cochran died Jan. 15, 1776, in the 47th year of 
his age. 

Dea. John Smith died Sept. 3, 1800, in the 74th year of his 

age. 

"The sweet remembrance of the just 
Will flourish tho' they sleep in dust." 

Dea. Thomas Smith (son of the foregoing) died May 1, 1854, 
aged 89. He served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church 
forty-seven years. Esther, his wife, died Oct. 8, 1851, aged 77. 

Paul Ferson died Oct. 17, 1798, aged 66. 

Dea. James Ferson died Feb. 26, 1804, aged 86. 

James Gregg died December 31, 1805, aged 63 ; his wife, 
Jane, died January 12, 1820, aged 82. 

The oldest inscription, to be found in the centre graveyard, 
is at the grave of Alexander McCollom, who died in 1768. 

March 1, 1773, the town " voted to get a Pall, and John 
McLaughlin to get it at the town's cost." 

POUNDS. 

The first pound was built of logs, by Dea. Thomas Cochran, 
near his corn-mill, agreeably to the vote of the town in 1763. 

The second was built near the old Presbyterian Church, 
agreeably to a vote of the town, March 4, 1793, of stone, and it 
is almost the only thing perpetuated from a period so remote to 
the present. 

ROAD S. 

The first settlers came into New Boston by way of Goffstown, 
and this is one reason why that part of the town adjoining 
Goffstown was first settled. The concentration of houses on 



236 



the Plains was not long encouraged, and settlements were 
pushed westward and southward, on the height of land on which 
is Jesse Beard's farm, and yet further to John Smith's, and 
thence towards Francestown, by the late Dea. Thomas Smith's, 
and southward to Wm. Bentley's, thence east to John Dodge's, 
and, crossing the South Branch, to Dea. Thomas Cochran's ; 
also from Bentley's to Clark's Hill, and thence to Cochran 
Hill, and Alfred E. Cochran's, towards Amherst ; also from Bent- 
ley's settlements were pushed south to centre of the town, over 
South Branch and Bradford's Hill, and thence towards Amherst, 
by Jacob Hooper's, and by way of Dea. Patterson's (Allen 
Leech's) to Rev. Solomon Moor's and. Allen Moor's, and by 
way of Dea. White's, on Wason's Hill, by the McAllisters and 
where Robert Kelso now lives, into Amherst. 

In 1765, a road was laid out from the line of Amherst, begin- 
ning near the present R. Kelso's land to Allen Moor's, and 
thence to Alexander McCollom's and to Dea. Thomas Cochran's. 
The same year, a road was laid out from Amherst, by way of 
Alfred E. Cochran's (then Peter) farm, Lot No. 10, between 
William Moor's (now Fuller), and John McMillen's (now Jona- 
than Marden's) to George Christy's ; thence, over Cochran's 
Hill, to, Francestown. But these roads, and nearly all laid out 
at this period, as may be seen by the transcripts, simply followed 
old paths which had been used for years. And it will be seen 
that, generally, the early roads went over the highest parts of 
the town. It was easy to build roads over the hills, and it was 
here that the settlements were to be found. The soil was best, 
and could be brought under cultivation quickest on the elevated 
parts ; while they were more healthy than the lower parts, they 
afforded better views. It was worth much, when the primitive 
forests covered the land, to occupy such elevations as could 
overlook some of the surrounding settlements. 

The roads were built by each man working a certain number 
of days, according to the vote of the town, until 1771, when it 
was "voted to make the Highways by Pole and Estate the 
present year ;" and " to allow each man three shillings a day." 
It was also voted that " each Pole work four days on the High- 
ways exclusive of his Estate, and that a pair of oxen be allowed 
as a man." When the labor should be expended seems to have 



237 



been left to the selectmen generally, though highway surveyors 
were chosen ; but some years, the town voted that the labor 
should be under the direction of a committee, and then the town 
was divided into districts, and highway surveyors were annually 
chosen, who were made responsible for the roads and the dis- 
position of the labor. 



LOEENZO FAIBBANKS, ESQ. 



He is son of Joel Fairbanks, and was born March 16, 1825. 
He fitted for college at Black River Academy, Ludlow, Yt., 
though he was for a time at Hancock Academy ; also at Town- 
send Academy, Vt. He entered the sophomore class in Dart- 
mouth College, in the fall of 1849, and graduated in 1852, 
immediately commencing the study of law, in the city of New 
York, spending the ensuing winter in Savannah and Charles- 
ton. He resumed his studies in 1853, in the office of Strong, 
Bidwell and Strong, Wall Street, New York, and was admitted 
to the bar the same year, and continued in practice there until 
1856, when he removed to Iowa, but soon returned and 
established himself in business in Philadelphia, where he now 
resides. Mr. Fairbanks is the author of a work on book-keep- 
ing, which he published some years ago, which has been highly 
acceptable to that portion of the community for which it was 
written. In 1856, Mr. Fairbanks was married in New York 
city to Sarah E. Skelton, of Bradford^ Mass., by whom he has 
had two children, one of whom, a child of much promise, died 
in 1863. 



KESPONSE OF LOKENZO FAIRBANKS, ESQ. 



THE BURIAL-GROUND — GOD'S ACRE. 

" Here hath prayer arisen like dew, — 
Here the earth is holy too ; 
Lightly press each grassy mound; 
Surely this is hallowed ground." 

Mr. President, — 

We dwell to-day upon the history of a century, recounting 
the struggles, the joys, the hopes, the sorrows of those who have 
gone before us ; and what more fitting occasion can there be 
for the expression of a sentiment like that which has just been 
uttered. It finds a response in every heart, and furnishes an 
impressive theme amid the festivities of the hour. The old 
burial-ground claims of us a solemn tribute of respect and ven- 
eration. It is a hallowed spot, — hallowed as the resting-place 
of those long since passed away, whose names and deeds live 
in tradition and history, and in the rude stone by the green 
graves, over which we still weave bright chaplets of affectionate 
remembrance. There have been gathered, one by one, our 
departed friends and kindred. Those silent mounds speak of 
sundered ties and stricken households, and bid us pause in 
solemn thought over cherished recollections, which, though 
mingled with sadness, grow brighter and brighter as years roll 
away. 

" Even they, the dead, — though dead, so dear, — 
Fond memory, to her duty true, 
Brings back their faded forms to view. 
How lifelike through the mist of years 
Each well-remembered face appears ! 
We see them as in times long past ; 
From each to each kind looks are cast ; 
We hear their words, their smiles behold, 
They're round us as they were of old." 
31 



242 

Very few there are in this great assembly who have not fol- 
lowed thither the mortal remains of near and clear relatives 
and friends, consecrating anew with each baptism of tears, and 
each farewell prayer, this spot of earth to be held forever sacred, 
— sacred by the vacant places of every hearth-stone, by every 
association connected with the memory of the lamented dead, 
that sends a thrill of pain or pleasure through the heart! Who 
that wanders among these silent habitations of the dead is not 
stirred by emotions and inspirations which spring out from the 
noblest and holiest sentiments of our natures? There, in fond 
contemplation, we dwell amid the scenes of the past, and live 
again in the buoyant and happy hours of youth, bright with the 
pleasures of home and the society of those we loved and vener- 
ated. There as parents and children, brothers, sisters, hus- 
bands, wives, we gather around the tombs of the departed, and 
find a solace in the duties of affection, the faithful tribute, the 
silent tear, that tell of sorrows that time cannot heal. There 
the Christian, standing as it were upon the verge of that mys- 
terious land to which we are all hastening, looks beyond the 
portals of the grave to a life of blessed immortality. There all 
may learn the great lesson of life in the universal record of 
man. Born and died, covers it all. God's Acre ! The silent 
yet majestic monitor of the world ! The loftiest monument, the 
humblest stone, the forgotten and unhonored grave, alike 
teach us that we, too, are mortal, and must sooner or later 
pass to that bourn whence no traveller returneth. Soft and 
reverential then be our tread, for holy is the earth; angel- 
whispers are on the breeze ; the voice of God is heard from 
the tombs of the unnumbered dead, and bids us bow in humble 
adoration of that infinite Power before which all that is earthly 
vanishes, and is lost in the boundless ocean of eternity. 

Regard for the dead and a desire to perpetuate their memory 
have in various forms been manifested in every age, in heathen 
as well as in Christian lands ; and the progress of the sepul- 
chral art is invested with peculiar interest and significance. In 
its successive developments we trace the progress of our race, 
and the prevailing ideas and religious sentiments of tribes and 
nations that have left behind no other record. The barrows of 
Europe and Asia, the tumuli of the heroic ages, alluded to by 



243 



classic writers, and the mounds and magnificent sepulchres of 
the Western hemisphere, containing untold treasures and the 
implements, weapons, and utensils of by-gone races, are the sole 
chroniclers of peoples who would otherwise he utterly lost in 
oblivion, and stand the only memorials of unrecorded greatness. 
The pyramids of Egypt — the culmination of mound-building — 
remain imperishable monuments of departed glory, and are 
counted among the wonders of the world. The catacombs, 
shrouded in mystery, and filled with the emblems of the 
thoughts, the actions, the life of those who have slumbered 
through unnumbered ages, afford inexhaustible fields for the 
researches of the philosopher and the investigation of the cu- 
rious. The grandeur and glory of the ancient cities of the Old 
World are immortalized in the splendor of their subterranean 
receptacles of the dead, mortuary mansions, and palaces, elab- 
orately carved and ornamented, that have defied the touch of 
time, when all else has changed or passed into oblivion. The 
proud mausoleums and monuments of later times — superb 
palaces where the lords and monarchs are carried in solemn 
procession with imposing ceremonies — attract the gaze of the 
traveller, and convey the profoundest lessons to mankind. In 
their calm and peaceful retreats we are led to exclaim, in the 
sublime apostrophe of Sir Walter Raleigh, — " Oh, eloquent, just, 
and mighty Death ! whom none could advise, thou hast per- 
suaded ; what none hath dared, thou hast done ; and whom all 
the world hath flattered, thou only hast cast out of the world 
and despised ; thou hast drawn together all the far-fetched 
greatness, all the pride, cruelty, and ambition of man, and cov- 
ered it all over with these two narrow words, Hie jacet." 

An almost instinctive idea that we are not wholly separated 
from the departed, a longing for immortality, the hope of a 
final resurrection, respect or aifection for friends, and a desire 
to preserve the dignity of earthly greatness, have all contributed 
to carry this art to the highest degree of perfection, until we 
rejoice that death lias been relieved of some of its terrors by the 
spirit of modern civilization, seeking to make our cemeteries 
attractive and picturesque, instead of repulsive, crowning them 
with the beauties of nature, and choice works of art, fit em- 



244 



blems of the analogies between the living and the dead and the 
hopes of a bright and glorious future. 

" See Truth, Love, and Mercy, in triumph descending, 
And Nature all glowing in Eden's first bloom ! 
On the cold cheek of Death smiles and roses are blending, 
And Beauty immortal awakes from the tomb." 

The beautiful cemeteries of the present day in Europe and 
our own country attest the spirit of the age, and exert an influ- 
ence as wide-spread as it is beneficent. Such places as Pere la 
Chaise, Mount Auburn, Greenwood, Laurel Hill, and Mount 
Vernon — combining the graces of nature, with the beauties of 
art, on which is lavished all the wealth of cultivated taste and 
fond affection — are worthy of our highest admiration. It may 
be that vanity and a love of display have contributed much to 
their magnificence ; but whatever the spirit which seeks to make 
the Silent Land harmonize with our feelings and instincts, we 
honor it. We should cherish it as, in the main, tending to 
good ; as ennobling and dignifying mankind ; as fostering a love 
for the beautiful, and hence elevating public taste ; as pro- 
moting Christianity; as an incentive to virtue, and the source of 
charity and fellowship among men ; as a consolation to the dy- 
ing, that they will be remembered in pleasant places, hallowed 
and guarded by the watchful eye and pious care of devoted 
friends. 

It is natural and rational for us to think well of cemeteries, 
and take a just pride in rendering them attractive and pleasant, 
as well as convenient for the purpose intended. Objects which 
so frequently appeal to our notice, and are so interwoven by 
association with our past lives, — places where repose the ashes 
of our friends and kindred, and where we also shall ultimately 
find rest, — certainly demand our fostering care, and should 
excite a laudable desire for their improvement. "We cannot 
allow this occasion to pass without offering a few suggestions, 
with the hope of awakening, in some degree, a proper public 
sentiment on a subject of so much importance. We regret to 
say, we have cause to blush for the little care we have bestowed 
upon our principal burying-ground. It has, indeed, been suf- 
fered to fall into general neglect. It is contracted in space, and 
crowded to excess, where land is plenty and cheap. It is not 



245 

only almost entirely destitute of the adornings which elsewhere 
grace such places, even in our own immediate vicinity, but is 
wanting in common conveniences. There are no avenues or 
walks, but few shade-trees or plants, little or no shrubbery, 
hardly anything that may be called ornamental, while the whole 
is allowed to run to waste, and grow up with obnoxious weeds 
and unsightly things, marks of desolation, where beauty and 
loveliness should smile upon the lap of earth. The walls are 
dilapidated ; tombstones are thrown down, scattered, and 
broken, or lean in all directions, sad evidences of a want of 
public spirit or private enterprise. Let it be so no longer ; let 
us cast off the stigma and the reproach we justly deserve. In- 
spired by the memories that, on an occasion like this, come 
crowding upon us, by a true consideration of our interests as 
well as our pleasures, let us pledge ourselves to the work of re- 
form. Stoical philosophy may answer the highest aspirations 
of some ; parsimony may stifle the better instincts of others. 
We make no appeal to such. If they rest in unhonored graves, 
let it be no fault of ours. Our duty is plain and easy. No 
sacrifices are called for. We would create no public burden, 
nor urge any of the extravagant expenditures which can be 
borne only by the concentrated wealth of our large cities. We 
only need the development of the right spirit, and a little 
spared from our hoarded treasures will meet every required 
demand. Then shall we live with the satisfaction of having 
performed our duty to the dead, and with the happy assurance 
that when our wanderings are over, and our dust shall return 
to mingle with the dust of our kindred, that our providence has 
rendered the burial-ground the desired resting-place of all that 
the earth can retain. 

We have already hinted at the general requisites of an ap- 
propriate place of burial. It may be well to sum them up and 
urge them upon your attention. 

1st. Ample Space and proper Location. — There is no occasion, 
in a country town like this, for confining our cemeteries within 
narrow limits, nor of seeking desolate hill-sides. Land is cheap, 
and we can afford some of our broad and fertile acres for so 
worthy an object. It may be best to extend our present grounds 
by adding contiguous lands on the north, west, and south, al- 



246 



though they are not all that could be desired. At all events 
we must have more room, even if compelled to seek another 
locality. We are constantly disturbing graves which have 
hardly been forgotten by the present generation, and it is a 
sacrilege that ought, if nothing else will, arouse us to a sense 
of our duty. 

2d. Neat and permanent Enclosures. — It is a disgrace to us 
to surround our graveyards with walls and fences that would 
damage our reputation if they enclosed our fields and common 
pastures. We are in favor of a substantial iron fence, even at 
a cost of five or ten thousand dollars. If that is beyond our 
means, we can at least begin the work, and leave its completion 
to succeeding generations as a monument to our enterprise. 
This would require the principal outlay of money. 

3d. Convenient Avenues and Walks. — These are not only 
necessary, but, by a proper arrangement and construction, they 
add much to the beauty and symmetry of such a place. We 
have said that our present burial-ground is destitute of such 
conveniences. There is not even a carriage-way, and the set- 
ting of a monument imposes upon us the necessity of dragging 
it over graves which we have no right to disturb. In attending 
a funeral, we are obliged to leave our carriages, and follow the 
bier on foot. Can such things be and not mantle our cheeks 
with shame ? 

4th. Pleasant Shade-trees. — Trees were the mortal enemies 
of our ancestors, and we can pardon them for not appreciating 
the beauties of groves and ornamental arbors. We cannot ex- 
cuse ourselves, if we neglect to adorn our cemeteries with what 
can be obtained so cheaply, and possess at the present day so 
many natural charms. Pleasant shade-trees are really the 
crowning glory of a rural cemetery. 

5th. Shrubbery, Plants, and Flowers. — A cultivated taste 
inclines us to place a high value upon these, while they are the 
most natural and instructive emblems of a renewed life, and 
that pure and holy affection which leads the chastened mourner 
to hallow with their gentle influence the sacred repose of loved 
and cherished ones. 



LETTERS. 



Many letters were received from distinguished individuals, 
who had been invited to be present on our centennial occasion ; 
but we insert only a few from those who will not otherwise 
appear in this volume. 

Conway, Mass., June 29, 1863. 

Gentlemen, — 

Your kind invitation in behalf of the " Old Folks at Home," 
requesting my attendance at the centennial celebration, Satur- 
day, the fourth day of July next, is at hand. I have delayed 
an answer until this late moment, in the hope of being able to 
accept it. With extreme regret, I now find that pressing- 
duties will require me to forego the satisfaction of meeting with 
you, to celebrate the day which brings round one hundred years 
on the wheels of time. 

The ashes of the dead, as well as the loved faces of the living, 
attract me strongly to my native town, and that attachment, I 
find, increases each day of my life. I cannot imagine any- 
thing, gentlemen, which would be more delightful than to 
participate with the assembled inhabitants of my native town, 
in rescuing from oblivion her ancient history, her original set- 
tlement, her doings in the Revolution, in the war of 1812, and 
in this great Rebellion, — her contributions in money and men, 
who sacrifice everything for the old flag of our Union. I know 
the story will be one of which New Boston will be proud. I 
feel it to be an honor that, as one of her sons, I am entitled to 
your invitation. The recollections which suggest themselves, 
the localities, the streams, the woods, the green hills, the old' 
church, the adjoining burying-ground (where sleep my own 
kith and kin), time nor distance can ever obliterate from my 
mind. With the sincerest good wishes for the success of your 

celebration, 

I remain, yours, etc., 

W. C. CAMPBELL. 



248 

Boston, June 30, 1863. 
Bev. E. C. Cogswell. 

Dear Sib : — Your note of the 24th instant, together with 
the circular of the Executive Committee, kindly requesting me 
to be present on the contemplated festival on the centennial 
anniversary of the place of my nativity, is received. It would 
give me much pleasure to again meet many of my former 
friends and acquaintances, to mingle with and witness the 
reminiscences of former days. But my professional engage- 
ments are such as will constrain me to forego the gratification 
it would give me to be present. Although I should find that 
many places and faces have much changed, yet many anec- 
dotes and incidents of my boyhood would be revived. The 
trudging on the farm of my native hill I could never enjoy, 
when a boy ; and to wait for the slow movement of an ox-team, 
or for a nibble at the end of a fish-line, I could never endure ; 
yet I never found time to be idle. I cannot say that the early 
part of my professional life was congenial to my disposition ; 
still I persevered in puking and skinning sick folks (perhaps 
with as much success as most of my professional fellows) for 
fourteen years, when I got tired of guessing and experimenting 
on the sick, " on general principles " (as a famous medical pro- 
fessor used to say), not knowing whether I was doing good or 
harm. Then during the winter of 1837 and 1838 I heard of the 
more certain way of selecting remedies for disease according to 
the law, " similia similibus curantur," which I at once exam- 
ined, and satisfied myself by experiment that disease could be 
most certainly cured by a very small quantity of a specific 
remedy, properly selected. That course of practice I have pur- 
sued since that time, with increasing satisfaction, although I 
had to endure the gibes and jeers of my former associates in 
the profession, for nearly a year, before there was a single genial 
physician in all New England with whom I could speak on the 
subject ; now we have over two hundred like physicians in my 
adopted State. Of the native, or former resident physicians 
in New Boston, I cannot say much. When I was a pupil, 
I was much in the office of Doctor James Crombie, at 
Francestown, where he used to detain me, sometimes long, in 
relating stories and anecdotes, for which he was an adept. I 



249 



have thought that he sometimes benefited his patient quite as 
much by his story-telling as he did by his medicine. He also 
loved a repartee as well as he did to tell a story. I distinctly 
recollect the doctor telling a story of a good old lady (who was 
desirous of doing all the good she could) asking the doctor if 
he knew what a grand physic oil-nut bark was. "No," said the 
doctor, " is it ? How do you take it ? " " "Why, doctor, just take 
some of the bark and steep it and drink it ; — it makes one of 
the grandest physics in the world; but doctor" (she said), 
" when you scrape the bark you must always be careful to 
scrape it down, for if you scrape it up it will puke you dread- 
fully" " Well," said the doctor, " what will it do if you scrape 
round ? It will go round and round in a fellow's belly and 
neither go up nor down, won't it ? " 

I do not know whether Doctor Hugh McMillen was a native 
of New Boston or not ; at any rate he was a genius, possessing 
a high-toned intellect and shrewd observation. He obtained 
much of his medical knowledge while engaged in the study of 
ancient alchemy, over which he spent much time. I recollect 
of hearing the old gentleman make a remark, long before I had 
given any attention to medicine, but I have often thought of it 
since. The old doctor was sitting in a store smoking his pipe, 
when a physician from a neighboring town passed by, who had 
been called to visit some severe cases of typhoid fever. Some 
one of the by-standers asked if he was a very skilful physician. 
Doctor Hugh replied, with an ejaculating grunt, removing his 
pipe from his mouth long enough to say, " Good in fevers ? 
Yes ; so any other fool might be if he had wit enough to let 
them alone." This was long before the French professor had 
published his expectant plan of treatment. 

Doctor John Whipple was a man of observation, and 
although empirical in his practice, yet he learned much from 
experience. His practice was what would now be called eclec- 
tive. He relied much upon specifics which he had learned by 
observation, and was what might be termed a successful practi- 
tioner. 

I will propose for a sentiment, — Progress and Development. 

I am not willing that science, art, and practical philosophy — 
should remain as they were one hundred years ago ; our mis- 

32 



250 



sion is to find out (if we can) the eternally fixed laws of nature, 

and investigate them for the melioration and improvement of 

our generation and race. For abide them, either for good or 

for evil, we must. 

Most respectfully your friend, 

SAMUEL GEEGG. 

Eev. E. C. Cogswell, | 

E. B. Cochran, Esq., and Associates. ) 



Eockland, Maine, June 23, 1863. 

Messrs. Cogswell and others, — 

Yours of June 20th was received. I shall endeavor to be at 
New Boston on the 4th. I send you to-day, by express, a flag 
without a stripe erased or a star obscured ; please accept it as 
a humble gift from one who sprung from the State that pro- 
duced a Webster, a Mason, Woodbury, and others that have 
done their country service. The flag was made by those that 
bear the name of Cochran. Long may it wave o'er the land 
of the free and home of the brave. Excuse haste. 
Yours truly, 



W. S. COCHEAN. 



To E. C.Cogswell and others, \ 
Executive Committee. 3 



New York, June 22, 1863. 

Rev. E. C. Cogswell. 

Dear Sir, — Your esteemed favor, inviting me to attend 
your forthcoming centennial celebration of the incorporation of 
the town of New Boston, came duly to hand. 

I regret to say that my engagements are likely to be of such a 
character as to make it very inconvenient, if not impracticable, 
for me to leave town during the early part of July. I think, 
therefore, I shall be obliged to decline your very kind invita- 
tion. 

Thanking your committee and yourself for your politeness, 
and wishing every success to your praiseworthy undertaking, 
I am, very respectfully yours, 

C C. LANGDELL. 



251 

Lee Centre, Illinois, June 18, 1863. 

To E. C. Cogswell and others : — 

Your circular, announcing a proposal to celebrate, on the 
4th of July next, the centennial anniversary of the incorpora- 
tion of New Boston, was duly received, and read with deep 
emotion. I need not say that I was immediately seized with a 
strong desire to accept the genial invitation of " the old Folks 
at Home," to appear among their sons and daughters, to re- 
vive recollections of the past at the old homestead. My res- 
idence in this remote region, once esteemed by us as the v^rge 
of sundown, has not abated my love and fond recollection of 
the place of my birth. To be addressed as one of the young 
folks, beguiles the somewhat saddening conviction which the 
bleached head and the honor and title of grandfather force upon 
me. I am refreshed by the suggestion that I am yet young. 
I exceedingly regret my inability to share in the festivities of 
the day. My heart, however, although in an absent body, will 
be in sympathy with the occasion. I sincerely hope that the 
gathering of the " General Assembly for high consultation " 
will be an occasion of great delight to all my townsmen so for- 
tunate as to be present. 

Very truly yours, etc., 

C. C. COCHRAN. 



Milwaukee, June 18, 1863. 

Rev. E. C. Cogswell : — 

Dear Sir, — I have not, up to this time, answered your kind 
letter and invitation of May 11, for the reason that two or 
more of our family have intended to be at the centennial cel- 
ebration on the 4th proximo. I write to you noiv, because un- 
foreseen circumstances have arisen within the past few days and 
hours that may prevent the consummation of our strongest 
wishes. 

I have written this day to our brother and sister, Mr. and 
Mrs. Burr, the details of the sad combination of circum- 
stances above alluded to, and I refer you to them for reasons 
that may prevent our attendance at the interesting celebration 
of the birth-year of our beloved native home. 

It is possible that one of the " Bradford boys " will, on the 



252 

day of the celebration, be resting his weary, war-worn body 
under the green turf of the old hill-side graveyard where his 
boyhood footsteps so often trod. 

I need not say to you, dear sir, how great will be the disap- 
pointment to us if none of us can be present with you on this 
occasion, that happens but once in a lifetime ; and we ask your 
kind remembrances. 

Most truly your friend, 

JAMES B. BRADFORD. 



Milwaukee, June 29, 1863. 

Mr. Cogswell : — 

Dear Sir, — Your letter of May 11, inviting me to your 
centennial celebration, came duly to hand. 

I had intended, until recently, to be present on the occasion, 
but find now that it will not be in my power, and that I must 
forego the pleasure of meeting old friends, most of whom I may 
never have an opportunity to see again. Let me assure you, 
however, that with reference to New Boston, I can say in all 
sincerity, with the poet, — 

" Where'er I roam, whatever realms to see, 
My heart, untravelled, fondly turns to thee." 

With an earnest wish that your celebration may be all, in 
interest and gratification, that you can desire, 
I am yours truly, 

E. P. BRADFORD. 

Boston, July 3, 1863. 
Rev. E. C. Cogswell : — 

Dear Sir, — My thanks are due for your kind invitation to be 
present on the 4th instant, and mingle in the festivities of the 
two memorable events, which the citizens of New Boston de- 
sign to commemorate connectedly. The closing up of the cen- 
tury, which, has just passed, in the settlement of my native 
town, will be of thrilling interest to those now upon the stage, 
especially those who have reached their " threescore years and 
ten," as they look back over the rise and progress of events as 
they have transpired during the last century. The two impor- 
tant eras will give scope to the flowing out of soul, and ex- 



253 

pression of high-toned patriotism, especially if the spirit of 
" '76 " pervades the hearts of the New Boston people. 

It would prove a day of hilarity to all good people who may 
assemble around the festive board, on the occasion, if we were 
free from the deadly grasp and horrors of a civil war. Notwith- 
standing the dark cloud which broods over our mourning coun- 
try, still we would not lose sight of the nation's first struggle, 
which so gloriously gained for us our independence and an 
elevated stand amongst the nations of the earth. 

It would contribute much to my happiness to be a participant 
in the festivities of the day, not of the outer, but of the inner 
man. It would prove injurious to me to leave my business just 
at this time, which must plead my excuse for non-attendance 
on so pleasant an occasion. 

In conclusion, permit me to offer the following sentiment : — 

Loyalty, without alloy, to the principles established by the 
Constitution of American Independence, that all men are 
born/ree and equal. 

I am, dear sir, very cordially, 

Your friend and humble servant, 

WM. R. CLARKE. 



Evergreens, Newburyport, Mass., June 15, 1863. 
Rev. E. C. Cogswell : — 

Dear Sir, — Your circular for the " hundredth anniversary " 
celebration on the coming 4th of July, was received months 
ago, but I have delayed replying till I could say, I will come. 
Unfortunately, I cannot yet so decide, but hope to be able to 
enjoy the day with old friends. 

I well remember the orator for the occasion, Hon. C. B. 
Cochrane, as well as some of your committee, particularly Lu- 
ther Colburn. My regards to all. 

Respectfully your obedient servant, 

E. G. KELLEY. 
Rev. E. C. Cogswell, Ch. Ex. Committee. 



254 



Milfoed, June 23, 1863. 

Rev. E. C. Cogswell: — 

Dear Sir, — I thank you for your polite invitation to attend 
the centennial celebration of the birthday of New Boston. It 
would be highly gratifying to me to be present on the occasion, 
and participate with the people in their reflections on the past. 
But I am afflicted with lameness, which retards me on the track, 
except on the track of time. I can be with you only in spirit. 
My best wishes for you, and for your town. 

Yours truly, 

HUMPHREY MOORE. 



Amherst, July 4, 1863. 

Rev. E. C. Cogswell : — 

My Dear Sir, — On this day of glorious and precious mem- 
ories, I am glad that your citizens have decided to commem- 
orate the commencement of your civil history. The settlement 
of New Boston, and the period of its incorporation as a town, 
must furnish many pious and patriotic incidents, which may 
well be brought to mind in an hour like this, when the national 
life is imperilled. I have a very lively sympathy with every 
effort to recover the memorials of that heroic age, when these 
towns were planted. The descendants of those who emigrated 
from Londonderry to New Boston, can look back to a noble an- 
cestry. I should be happy to join in the services which bring 
to mind their personal worth and valuable labors, but I can- 
not, with convenience, be absent from home. If you should 
prepare a memorial volume, or print any record of your pro- 
ceedings, enter my name as a subscriber. 

Thanking you for the Gourteous invitation with which I have 
been honored, I am 

Yours, with sincere esteem, 

J. G. DAVIS. 



TOWN OFEICEES. 



John Goffe, Esq., was apppointed by the Governor and Coun- 
cil to call the first town-meeting in New Boston ; and the first 
meeting was held at the dwelling-house of Dea. Thomas 
Cochran, on Thursday, March 10, 1763. At this meeting 
Alexander McCollom, was chosen Town Clerk, and Thomas 
Cochran, James McFerson, Nathaniel Cochran, John Mc- 
Allister, and John Carson, Selectmen ; Thomas Wilson ; Con- 
stable, Matthew Caldwell, John Smith, George Cristy, James 
Wilson, and Thomas Brown, Surveyors of Highways ; Abraham 
Cochran and Samuel Nickles, Tythingmen ; William Gray and 
John Burns, Hog-reeves ; John Carson and James Hunter, 
Deer-keepers ; John Cochran, Commissioner of Assessments ; 
Dea. Thomas Cochran, Pound-keeper ; Matthew Caldwell and 
Thomas Wilson a Committee to examine the Selectmen's 
accounts. 

The following is a list of the names of the persons that have 
served in the office of Representative, Town Clerk, and Select- 
men, from the year 1763 to the year 1863, the year set against 
their names, prepared by George G. Fox, Esq. : — 



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GRADUATES OF COLLEGES. 



John Gove, Dartmouth College. .1703 

William Wilson, D. C 1707 

William Ferson, D. C 1 707 

Peter Cochran, (Rev.) D. C 1708 

Nathaniel Peahody, D. C 1800 

Thomas Cochran, (Rev.) B. U. . . 
Robert Cochran, (Rev.) B. U. . . 

Samuel Clark, (Rev.) D. C 1812 

Charles F. Cove, D. C 1817 

Josiah W. Fairfield, D. C 1825 

Clark B. Cochrane. U. C 1839 

Perlcy Dodge, U. C 1824 



Hiram Wason, (Rev.) A. C 1834 

i Royal Parkinson, (Rev.) D. C. .1842 

I Witter S. M'Curay, D. C 1845 

Jesse M'Curdy, D. C 1852 

Amos B. Goodhue, U. C 1845 

Joseph A. Goodhue, D. C 1848 

Lorenzo Fairbanks, D. C 1852 

Warren R. Cochrane, D. C 1850 

William R. Adams, D. C 1859 

William W. Colburn, D. C 1861 

Henrv Marden, D. C 1862 



GRADUATES OF MEDICAL COLLEGES. 



Samuel Gregg, D. C 1825 

A. G. Kelley, Jeff. Med. Coll.. . .1838 

Jeremiah Cochran, B. C 1825 

Chas. Cochran, Willoughby TJniv .1843 



Thomas H. Cochran, D. C 1840 

Horace Wason, CastletonM. Sch.1845 

Samuel Lynch, Union Med. Col., 
New York . . • • 1863 



EOLL OE HONOR. 

A TRIBUTE TO THE ABSENT SOLDIERS, BY W. R. COCHRANE. 



While we are luxurious, 

Joyous and curious, 
Many brave hearts are away to the war : 

Kindred to some of us, — 

What would become of us, 
Losing the rights they are suffering for ? 

Returning approvingly, 

Eagerly, lovingly, 
Home's gushing heart is the dream-gathered gem 

As in spirit they meet with us, — 

Laugh with us, eat with us, 
Oh, be our sympathy ever with them ! 

In fancy, frivolity, 

Pleasure and jollity, 
Friendship's sweet paths, or devotion's warm tear, 

They were ever a part of us, — 

Deep in each heart of us 
Be the white chamber of memory dear ! 

For some will not press again 

Hands whose caress again, 
Meeting or parting, can thrill us no more ; 

In the camp languishing, 

On the field vanquishing, — 
Falling in glory, their battles are o'er ! 

From the clash, the disparity, 
Booty, barbarity, 



264 

Back will the spirit instinctively roam ; 
Dying unswervingly, 

Dying deservingly, 
Dying in dreams of affection and home ! 

Oh ! take him up carefully, 

Tenderly, prayerfully, 
Though the fixed eye be unceasingly dim ; 

Though he awake no more, 

Though his heart break no more, 
Holy the ashes of heroes like him ! 

Bear him with gratitude 

To this cold latitude, 
Where the green graves of his kindred may be 

Link not with slavery 

Christian-like bravery, — 
Let his bones rest in the soil of the free ! 

Reared in obscurity, 

Piety, purity, 
Though unemblazoned his dearly-loved name ; 

True to the land we love, 

True to the God above, 
Ages shall brighten and whiten his fame ! 

Not popularity, 

Property, charity. 
Not by what others might offer or say ; — 

He was a patriot, 

Loving the state he ought, 
Here was the spirit which called him away ! 

Oh ! changelessly, cheerfully, 

Tenderly, tearfully, 
Lovingly spoken his name shall be ; — 

In his life beautiful, 

Unto death dutiful, 
Long shall he live in the hearts of the free ! 



OP VOLUNTEERS FROM NEW BOSTON 
IN THE WAR OP THE REBELLION. 



FOR TIIREE MONTHS. 

James B. Whipple, 
Paul Whipple, 
Page Fox, 
Joseph K. Whipple, 
W. B. Dodge, 
Alfred Eaton, 
W. E. Taggart. 

FOR NINE MONTHS. 

Perley Doge,* 
M. Colburn, 
Abner Lull,* 
Jacob Towns, 
Geo. Andrews, 
C. H. Dickey ,* 
H. Peabody,* 
J. Peabody,* 
L. Peabody,* 
J. Langdell, 
Wm. Kelso * 
Page Fox, 
H. Fairfield, 
Horace Langdell, 
Edward Cudworth,* 
Calvin Andrews, 
C. H. Murphy, 
E. P. Dodge, 
Geo. Marden, 
Lewis Towns,* 
Moses Crombie, 
Benj. Wilson,* 



Fred. Lamson.* 

FOR THREE YEARS 
OR THE WAR. 
Emerson Johonnett, 
Edward Reynolds, 
Samuel Putman, 
Wm. C. Kelso, 
Jacob Carson, 
W. Cornelius Beard,* 
Julian Dodge, 
S. Dodge, Jr., 
Wm. B. Dodge, 
Robert Clark, 
Geo. H. Chandler, 
Caleb Dodge, 
Paul Whipple, 
Henry Gage, 
A. Carson, 
Everett Ober, 
John Corvan,* 
Geo. Davis, 
Geo. How, 
Edwin Barnard, 
Levi W. Sargent, 
Charles Brooks,* 

Richardson, 

Frank Warden, 
John Buxton, 
Washington Follansbee, 
Henry Shelby, 
Addison Meade, 



Chas. E. Daggett * 
H. Frank Warren, 
Elbridge Mansfield, 
J. H. Johonnett, 
A. J. Bennett, 
Austin Morgan, 
Geo. Lawrence, 
John G. Rowell, 
Wm. Dustan, 
Geo. E. Cochran, 
Daniel Heald 
John H. Eaton,* 
Alfred Eaton, 
Frank Carson, 
R. Bartlett, 
Wm. N. Dunklee, 
A. P. Brigham, 

Hope, 

J. Whipple Jr., 
Geo. Moulton, 
James Leet, 
Duncan Campbell, 
Edgar Richards, 
Joseph Richards, 
Oscar Richards,* 
Daniel F. Shedd, 
James Colburn, 
John Dickey, 
Wm. J. Perkins, 
John II. Boynton. 



34 



*Dead. 



REV. WILLIAM CLAKK. 



He was born in Hancpck September 28, 1798, the son of John, 
who was the son of William. When a lad he went to Con- 
cord, and learned the printer's art. But while here, under the 
preaching of Rev. Asa McFarland, D. D., he became hopefully 
interested in religion, and desired to obtain a suitable education 
for the ministry, and to this bent his energies. He fitted for col- 
lege at Bradford Academy, Mass., and graduated at Dartmouth 
College in the Class of 1822. Teaching an academy at New- 
port two years, he entered Andover Theological Seminary in 
1824, and graduated in 1827, after which he was employed as 
an agent for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
Missions in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and was settled 
over the First Congregational Church in Wells, Me., February 
19, 1829, where he remained six years, seeing much fruit of his 
labors. He was then appointed agent for the American Tract 
Society for New England, and in 1836 for the Society at New 
York, as their general agent for the Western States. In 1840 
he was appointed district secretary for the A. B. C. F. Mis- 
sions for Northern New England, and occupied this position 
until 1856, when he resigned, and was appointed secretary and 
general agent of the New Hampshire Home Missionary Society, 
and still holds that office. 

Mr. Clark married Elvira Hurd, of Newport, January 14, 
1829, who died February 9, 1847, leaving a son and daughter, 
— the latter dying young, the former being now a member of 
Amherst College, Mass. December 26, 1848, Mr. Clark mar- 
ried Mrs. Mary C. Wheelright, of Bangor, Me., and resides at 
Amherst. 




MHjZxOZra vMffi> . 



RESPONSE OF REV. WILLIAM CLARK. 



New Boston. — What has given it its character. 

Mr. President, — 

From its first settlement more than one hundred years since, 
the town of New Boston has held a conspicuous and honorable 
position. Its name has been associated with whatsoever is of 
good report. Having no special natural advantages above its 
sister towns in the vicinity, with the exception, perhaps, of 
somewhat extensive water power and valuable pine growth on 
the borders of its streams, it has been prominent among them. 
Great industry has ever characterized its inhabitants. Few, in 
any period of its existence, have eaten the bread of idleness. 
The sturdy owners of the soil have cultivated their acres with 
indomitable energy and unremitting diligence ; combining these 
traits with frugality and good management, they have attained 
to prosperity. This is seen in their good roads, their substan- 
tial stone fences, their well cultivated farms, their convenient 
well-furnished buildings, their large barns, their extensive 
flocks and herds. 

Hospitality has been a marked trait in the character of the 
New Boston people. Before the construction of the turnpike 
passing through the southwest corner of the town, teamsters 
from upper towns in the State and in Vermont, learning the 
fame of New Boston hospitality, were wont to avail themselves 
of it, much to their comfort and to the relief of their scantily 
filled purses. Some fifty years ago, when country farmers, liv- 
ing remote from sea-board towns, were wont in the winter sea- 
son to go tib market with their own teams and exchange their 
produce for groceries, Deacon Robert Clark used to purchase 
largely, not only for his own family, but for the visitors and 
callers at his house, whether relatives or strangers. 



270 

In one of his annual trips to Boston, while negotiating some- 
what largely for groceries, the merchant inquired whether he 
was purchasing to sell again, or for his own family expenditure ; 
intending to sell at a cheaper rate if the good deacon had in 
view the former object. He replying, " Sir, I am purchasing 
for my own family, and for my friends and my guests," was 
obliged to pay retail prices. Paying such prices for his groce- 
ries they were cordially dealt out to his comers, irrespective of 
relationship, without money and without price. The hay and 
grain of his well-filled barns were in like manner gratuitously 
dealt out to the teams of his callers and guests. This gen- 
erosity, this open-heartedness, that disdained to receive compen- 
sation for entertainment, was a prominent trait in the earlier 
settlers of the town, and contributed not a little to its good 
name. 

The early settlers of New Boston, most of them of Scotch 
descent, possessed sturdy intellects and strong common sense. 
Well educated for those days of comparative scarcity of schools, 
books, and newspapers, they made provision for the education 
of their children. When unable to sustain the present system 
of common schools, neighboring families would unite in pro- 
curing teachers for their children from Scotland and Ireland. 
This kept alive amongst them the love of education and learn- 
ing, and greatly promoted general intelligence. As fruits of 
this, the town bias furnished a large number of well-educated 
men for the professions of medicine, law, and divinity, and for 
teachers, mechanics, merchants, tradesmen, and farmers. In 
this connection should be named the wives, mothers, and 
daughters of New Boston, who were second in no respect in 
strength of character, intelligence, frugality, hospitality, or in- 
dustry, to their husbands, parents, or brothers. Indeed, the 
valuable traits of character belonging to the men were inspired 
by the excellent women of the successive generations of the 
past century. 

It need hardly be said, after the foregoing, that public order 
and good morals have been marked traits in the character of 
the people of New Boston. These are almost necessary conse- 
quences of a community distinguished for industry, frugal- 
ity, hospitality, intelligence, good family government, respect 



271 



for parental authority, fraternal affection, love of honesty, 
truth, integrity between man and man, obedience to public law, 
temperance, respect for and observance of the Sabbath as an in- 
stitution of God, reverence for the sanctuary, — all these, and kin- 
dred virtues, have ever belonged, to a good degree, to this people. 

Now, under what general influences has their character, as 
above imperfectly delineated, been formed ? We reply, under 
those of the Bible, of the preaching of the gospel, and of its 
blessed institutions. 

The early settlers of the town — most of them emigrants 
from Londonderry, whose ancestors were Scotch Presbyterians 
— brought with them a reverence for God and his institutions. 
Theirs was a scriptural piety, the fruit of an unhesitating, full, 
practical faith in the great doctrines of revelation. 

These great doctrines had been taught them in Londonderry 
by the McGregors and the Davidsons, and by their godly par- 
ents ; from the Bible and the Westminster Assembly's Cat- 
echism. These Bible truths had enlightened and invigorated 
the intellect, and stamped the character of the pioneer settlers 
of the town. Thus trained at home, and coming here in the 
fear of God, they laid the foundation of religious institutions 
when comparatively few and feeble in pecuniary means. They 
kept the Sabbath, and reverenced the sanctuary. Soon after 
their establishment in town they extended a call to Rev. Sol- 
omon Moor, recently from Scotland, to become their pastor and 
teacher. This call, signed by some fifty men, heads of families, 
honors their intellect and heart. 

Mr. Moor, accepting the call, became their minister, remain- 
ing such till his death, which occurred May 3, 1803, at the age 
of 67. A church of the Presbyterian order was formed, prob- 
ably in the same year of his settlement, 1768. His ministry 
of thirty-five years was comfortable and useful, made so, in no 
small measure, by the influence of his excellent lady, a daugh- 
ter of Rev. William Davidson, of the east parish, Londonderry. 
On the ministry of Rev. Mr. Moor, most of the families in the 
town constantly attended. Such was the tone of public opin- 
ion, that no family or individual could have the respect of the 
people who did not regularly resort to the sanctuary, and, at 
least externally, hallow the Sabbath. Returning from public 



272 



worship, parents would gather their children around them, and 
teach them the doctrines and duties of the Bible. Daily wor- 
ship was maintained by the families generally. This greatly 
contributed to the maintenance and efficiency of family govern- 
ment. Children honored their parents, and loved one another ; 
they were taught to respect their superiors and reverence age, 
to fear God and keep his commandments. 

Such was the state of society in New Boston when Rev. 
Ephraim P. Bradford — a nobleman by nature, and, by the grace 
of God, a finished scholar ; a sound theologian ; an eloquent 
preacher ; a faithful pastor ; a devout Christian : wise, prudent, 
deeply impressed with a sense of his responsibilities as a minis- 
ter of Christ — was ordained a successor of Rev. Mr. Moor 
Feb. 26, 1806, continuing pastor of the church to the close of 
his life, Dec. 15, 1845, at 69 years of age. During his useful 
ministry, of nearly forty years, some three or four extensive re- 
vivals occurred among his people, the aggregate fruits of which 
were several hundred additions to the church. Seldom has a 
Christian ministry, of like duration, been more beneficial to 
any people. The high tone of morals existing from the early 
settlement of the town, the respect and observance of the Sab- 
bath, the reverence for the sanctuary, the cheerful support of 
Christian ordinances shown by the fathers at one period, and 
maintained to a good degree by the children under the able, 
earnest, godly ministry of Mr. Bradford, gave prominence to 
New Boston. 

The primary and principal influences, therefore, which have 
given New Boston its excellent character during the century 
of its existence, have come from the Bible, the church, the 
pulpit, the ministry, the Sabbath school, the ordinances of the 
gospel. Had none of these hallowed influences existed in the 
town, had the first settlers been indifferent to the sacred insti- 
tutions ordained of God for the temporal and eternal good of 
the race, and had their successors followed their example, how 
barren of interest would be the event we to-day celebrate ! The 
great interest of this occasion results, in no small degree, from 
the ecclesiastical history of the town. May its future history 
be fraught with like interest. In order to this, the people must 
earnestly, cheerfully, liberally, sustain the divinely-appointed 
institutions of the Bible, — institutions so loved by the fathers. 



DR. THOMAS II. COCHRAN. 



Dr. Cochran was the son of John Davidson Cochran, born 
June 15, 1812, on Cochran Hill. After his preparatory course 
in schools, he studied medicine and surgery with Dr. Nehemiah 
Cutter, of Pepperell, Mass., and Drs. Dixi Crosby, of Hanover, 
and Josiah Crosby, of Meredith Bridge, and graduated at the 
Medical College at Hanover, in the Class of 1840, and com- 
menced to practice at New Ipswich in September of that year. 
He was married, by Rev. Samuel Lee, to Mary, daughter of 
Capt. Jeremiah Pritchard of New Ipswich, Oct. 3, 1844. Their 
children are : Hamilton P., John D., Frederick C, Mary L., and 
Helen V. Dr. Cochran held a commission of Justice of the 
Peace for the County of Hillsborough from 1847 to his re- 
moval to West Rutland, Vt., in 1855, and served as Assistant 
Surgeon U. S. Army, in the military hospitals Louisville, Ky., 
in the years 1862 and '63. He is now in the successful prac- 
tice of his profession in West Rutland, Vt. 

35 




J.KBufford'siifti. 




KESPONSE OF DR. T. H. COCHBAN. 



'• And the rest of the acts of the fathers, behold, they are written in the book of the 

Chronicles. " 

Mr. President, — 

1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in or- 
der a declaration concerning - the manner of the discovery and 
early settlement of this goodly heritage, whose boundaries are 
the Eastern and Western Seas, and also the acts of the early 
fathers, — 

2 I thought it good to me also, having sat at the feet of 
elders and old men and ancient maidens, and learned, by 
word of mouth, many ancient traditions ; 

3 And also having a perfect knowledge of many things that 
have never been before written ; 

4 And furthermore, having been an eye-witness of many 
things, that have come to pass in these latter days, to set them 
forth in order unto your most excellent friends, 

5 That you, likewise, might know and understand the same : — 

6 Now, therefore, declare I them unto you, and not unto you 
only do I declare them, 

7 But to the effect that generations yet unborn may also read 
and know of the acts of their fathers. 



CHAPTER I. 

DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. — FIRST SETTLEMENTS. 

1 Now it came to pass, in the days of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
that there arose a young man, a Genoese, a man of much 
study and learning and wisdom and understanding, and full of 
all knowledge in navigating ships upon the waters. 

2 Now this young man went into the presence of the King 
and Queen, and bowed himself before them, saying, 



276 

3 Hear ine, King, I pray thee, and turn not a deaf ear 
unto the supplication of thy servant. 

4 Now this is my petition and desire ; for it comes to pass, 
that as I lie sleeping upon my couch by night, my slumbers are 
disturbed by strange visions of isles and lands beyond the sea, 
towards the setting sun ; 

5 And my convictions, also, by day are, that there are yet 
other lands, that my lord the King knoweth not of. 

6 Now, therefore, I pray thee, give me ships, and men to 
navigate them, that I may go in search thereof, and bring sil- 
ver, and gold, and precious stones, and men-servants, and maid- 
servants, to fill the treasury of my lord the King. 

7 Now it came to pass, that, after many like entreaties, the 
hearts of the King and Queen were moved with compassion 
towards him, and they gave him ships and men, as he had de- 
sired them. 

8 Now when he had cast his lot upon the waters, and had been 
tossed about for many months, he lifted up his eyes, and be- 
hold, there rose up before him a land of mountains and valleys, 
and hills and forests, yea, of lakes and mighty rivers, whose 
waters mingle with the sea ; 

9 A land inhabited by a strange people, clothed in skins and 
furs of animals, cunning archers, and mighty warriors, wor- 
shippers of a great spirit, but who knew not the living and true 
God. 

10 Now he called the land he had discovered, Columbia, and 
tarrying for a season, returned to his own country. 

11 ^[ Now it came to pass, that when the discoveries that 
Christopher, whose surname was Columbus, had made, became 
noised abroad among the nations of the East, 

12 There arose colonies from Tyrus, which is, by interpreta- 
tion, England ; 

13 And also from the land of pipes, lager-beer, and sour- 
krout, which is, by interpretation, Holland ; 

14 Also from the land of oil, wine, and honey, the originators 
of fashions for the civilized world to ape, which is Prance ; 

15 Also from the land of knight-errantry, seekers for gold- 
dust, famed for its Amoritish and Moorish women, even Spain. 

16 Now they crossed the sea in ships, and anchored at the 



277 



mouths of the mighty rivers, and builded cities ; every tribe 
according to its nation, did it build a city. (a) 

17 Now the land that Columbus discovered became a great 
and mighty nation. * 



CHAPTER II. 

SETTLEMENT OF LONDONDERRY. 

1 Now there came also a tribe of Scots from the Isle of 
" Erin Go Bragh " known and read of all men as Scotch-Irish, 
for they had sojourned many generations in that Isle, in the 
north part thereof, Presbyterians, who feared God, and eschewed 
evil. 

2 They also came down in ships, their wives and little ones, 
and the ships wafted westward, and anchored at the mouth of 
Jordan, even the Merrimac, where it empties into the sea. 

3 Now it came to pass, as they journeyed westward a Sabbath- 
day's journey, that they lifted up their eyes, 

4 And behold they discovered land, yea rich land, abound- 
ing in forests of cedar and fir. 

5 And behold also, there were meadows, where ran pure 
streams of water, and bearing much grass for their flocks and 
herds. (b) 

G Here they pitched their tents, and gave thanks unto the 
Lord, for his goodness, and for his mercy that endureth for- 
ever. 

7 And they called the land whereon they worshipped 
-Bethel;" 

8 For they said " The Lord hath directed our steps hither- 
ward, and pointed this land out to us, for an heritage for our- 
selves, and the generations that are to come after us." 

9 So it came to pass that they builded houses, and tilled the 
earth, and the earth yielded her increase, and sons and 
daughters were born unto them. 

10 And their flocks and herds multiplied exceedingly, and 
they became a prosperous and happy people, fearing God alway. 

11 Now they called the land whereon they abode " London- 
Derry, " for they said " We will perpetuate the name of the 
place of our nativity." 



278 
CHAPTER III. 

SETTLEMENT OF NEW BOSTON. 

1 Now it came to pass, in process of time, that the sons that 
were born unto them grew to man's estate, and for number 
were like the hosts of David when he warred against the Phi- 
listines, — 

2 G-odly men, and men of valor ; and their daughters were 
like the roes upon the mountains, — comely and fair to look 
upon. 

3 Now the young men arose and said unto their fathers, 
" Behold the young men, for we are mauy, and the place is too 
straight for us. 

4 Where now is the rood of ground whereon we can build 
an house, and plant a vineyard, and eat our bread, and drink 
our wine, and live and die under our own vine and fig-tree ? " 

5 Now when the young men had done speaking their fathers 
said unto them, — 

6 Lift up your eyes and look afar off, beyond Jordan, even 
westward, beyond Joppa. (c) 

7 Is there not a land flowing with milk and honey, and own- 
ed by the merchant men of the city, even Boston ? 

8 Arise, go to now, take money in your purse, and two loaves 
to sustain you on your journey, 

9 And go buy you lands whereon to build and raise you up 
a local habitation and a name in Israel. 

10 Now the young men did as their fathers had commanded 
them, and went and bought lands that had been measured by 
the compass and chain, 

11 And felled the timber thereon, and burned it upon the 
ground, and sowed instead the wheat and flax and barley ; 

12 And builded an house ; every man according to his means, 
did he build an house. 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE YOUNG MEN SEEK WIVES. 

1 Now it came to pass that one young man, after he had cast 
in the wheat and flax and barley, and builded an house, arose 
and came to himself, and said, — 



279 



2 kt As it was in the days of Adam so it is In these latter 
days, it is not good for man to be alone ; " 

3 " What doth it profit a man, if he gain a farm and live a 
bachelor ? " 

4 I will arise, and go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bcth- 
uel, my mother's father, and take from thence a wife of the 
daughters of Laban, my mother's brother." (1) 

5 And he arose, and went and did as he had said ; 

6 Now this was the portion that Laban bestowed upon his 
daughters. 

7 One young heifer, one ewe lamb, one foal, and a side-sad- 
dle, new from the shop, stitched by the hand of a cunning work- 
man, 

8 A spinning-wheel (there were no pianos in those days), 
and some fine linen from the loom, 

9 Pewter spoons and platters, without alloy, for the table, a 
churn and kneading-trough. (d) 

10 And, peradventure, another article, much used in those 
days, somewhat after the similitude of a kneading-trough, with 
the addition of rockers. 

11 This was the portion that the damsel brought unto her 
husband. 

12 Now it came to pass, that other young men, seeing that 
the prosperity of their friend was greater after he had taken a 
wile than before, went and did likewise. 

13 " Seest thou a man diligent in business, he shall stand 
before kings, he shall not stand before mean men." 

14 Now they prospered and waxed in riches, and became 
much people, and called the land whereon they dwelt Israel, 
which is by interpetation New Boston, for they said, " Did we 
not buy lands of the merchant-men of the city of Boston ? 



CHAPTER V. 

WHAT THE W I V.E S DID. 

1 " The heart of her husband, doth safely trust in her. 

2 " She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her 
hands ; 



280 



3 " She layeth her hand to the spindle, and her hands hold the 
distaff; 

4 " Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among 
the elders of the land ; 

5 " She maketh fine linen and selleth it ; 

6 " Her children rise up and call her blessed, and her husband 
also and he praiseth her." 

7 Now the wives they had chosen were cunning workers with 
the shuttle and distaff, and spun of the wool, and made gar- 
ments for themselves, their husbands and little ones. 

8 And of the flax, they made linen, yea the fine linen of 
Egypt did they make, and laid it upon the lawn to bleach and 
to whiten, 

9 And watered it with a watering-pot, at the rising of the 
sun and at the going down of the same, and at noon-day, until 
it was like unto the snow for whiteness. 

10 Now they beetled it upon a rock, even the rock that stands 
unto this day, at the threshold of the door of the house of 
Peggy, the daughter of John, did they beetle it ; 

11 And folded it in folds, and took it to the Fair, even the 
" Deny Fair," and sold it to the merchant-men of the city for 
shekels of gold and shekels of silver. (c) 

12 Thus were they an helpmeet to their husbands. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CAVE OF MACHPELAH. 

1 Now it came to pass that the chief people and elders as- 
sembled themselves together, and said one to another, 

2 " Man that is born of woman tarrieth but for a season and 
passeth away, and we have not yet where to bury our dead." 

3 And they communed with Ephron the son of Zohar the 
Hittite saying, — 

4 " Sell unto us, for as much money as it is worth, the field 
and the cave therein, which layeth before Mamre, on the hill- 
side, above the river, even t the Piscataquog, that runneth 
through the valley, for a possession of a burial-place, that we 
may bury our dead out of our sight." 



281 



5 And Bpliron answered and said unto them : " Hearken 
unto me my neighbors and townsmen ; 

6 The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, — what 
is that betwixt me and you ? bury therefore thy dead." 

7 And they hearkened unto Ephron, and weighed unto him 
the silver which he had named, even four hundred shekels cur- 
rent money with the merchants. 

8 And the field and the cave of Machpelah, which lieth 
therein were made sure unto them for a possession of a burial- 
place, and there they bury their dead even unto this day. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BUILDING OF THE FIRST TEMPLE — CALLING OF 
SOLOMON. 

1 Now after those things, the chief people and elders assem- 
bled themselves together the second time, and said one to 
another, 

2 " Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, 
but we have not where to worship God on the Sabbath day." 

3 Now they took counsel together, and builded a sanctuary 
on Mount Ephraim, on the north side thereof, near Cave Mach- 
pelah. 

4 The length thereof was one score and ten cubits, and the 
breadth thereof was one score and five cubits, and the height 
thereof twelve cubits. 

5 On the south side was the gate, or main entrance to the 
lower, or inner court of the sanctuary, and on the east, south, 
and west sides of the inner walls was an upper court, which is, 
by interpretation, a " gallery." 

6 On the south of the upper court sat those who sang songs 
and played the harp, and on the east and west sides sat rebel- 
lious lads and " contrabands," 

7 While on the lower court sat the elders and assembled wis- 
dom of Israel. 

8 Now there were on the east and west ends of the sanctuary, 
porches, or outer courts with side entrances to the lower court, 
and winding-stairs to the upper court. 

36 



282 



9 Now opposite the south gate on the north side, against the 
wall of the inner court, was the altar, whose height was three 
cubits and a span, and above the altar was there projecting from 
the wall after the similitude of the " shell of the tortoise," which 
is, by interpretation, a " sounding-board," that the truths spoken 
at the altar might not ascend, and be lost among the rafters, 
but descend, and find lodgment in the hearts of the hearers. 

10 Now the color of the temple was diverse from that of the 
sepulchre unto which Christ likened the Jews ; 

11 And the building might be likened unto an algebraic for- 
mula, thus : a -J- b — x — y = the whole, which is, by inter- 
pretation : a, the walls ; plus b, the roof; minus x, the steeple ; 
minus y, the bell = the house. 

12 ^[ Now they called Solomon from the isle of Scotia, be- 
yond the sea, a devout man, of much learning and wisdom, and 
of talents not a few. 

13 And Solomon was anointed to walk in and out of the 
temple before this people, and he did so ; and his offerings were 
acceptable unto the Lord ; and multitudes turned from the error 
of their ways under his teachings. 

14 And the temple was called the " Temple of Solomon." 

15 Tradition says of Solomon, whose surname was Moor, 
that he was of large stature, and his countenance beamed with 
intelligence and good-humor, 

16 And was known for his many proverbs and sayings, that 
abounded in wit and sarcasm, and was, withal, a good horse- 
man, and sat upon his horse after the similitude of one that 
commandeth an army. 

17 ^[ Now there was a man of much note in the land, whose 
surname was McLaughlen, who kept an inn on the hillside above 
the sanctuary, and many of the hearers of Solomon assembled 
there at noontide on the Sabbath day, and regaled themselves 
with new wine and strong drink. 

18 Now on the altar, on the right hand of Solomon, stood a 
monitor, which is, by interpretation, an " hour-glass," to ad- 
monish the congregation of the distich in the primer, that 



" As runs the glass, 
Man's life doth pass.'W 



283 



19 And Solomon preached by the hour. 

20 Now on the morrow after the Sabbath, a certain man re- 
proached Solomon, in this wise : — 

21 " Thou didst weary us yesterday with thy much speaking, 
and the hour dragged heavily upon us." 

22 Whereupon Solomon replied, and made the ears of him 
to whom he spake to tingle : " "What have I to do with thee, 
thou wicked and perverse son of Belial ? for thou wilt take two 
glasses from Mac with an easy grace, and canna' take one glass 
from me without grumbling." 

23 Now all the days of the ministration of Solomon among 
this people were one score and seventeen years ; and he died, 
and was buried in the cave upon the hillside, and a horizontal 
slab, supported at its four corners, with inscriptions thereon, 
showeth his history unto this day. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SECOND ADVENT. (g) 

1 Now it came to pass, that about one score and ten years 
after the coming of the first tribe, there came also from the sea- 
shore, even Beverly and Hamilton, in the " Old Bay State," 
another tribe and people, whose speech and dialect were unlike 
the speech and dialect of the former people, for they said " Sib- 
boleth." 

2 Now they multiplied and became much people, so that the 
name became more numerous than any other name in the land. 

3 They also waxed in riches, and became money-changers and 
tax-gatherers, 

4 And owners of much land, and cattle, and sheep, and 
swine, 

5 And horses, and asses, and " contrabands," and he-goats, 
and rams, and bulls, whose bellowings were like the bellowings 
of the " bulls of Bashan," when they encompassed the psalmist 
round about. 



284 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE WITCH OP ENDOB (h) — WHAT SHE DID — THE 
FATE OF ISAAC — THE DEATH OF THE WITCH. 

" I tell the tale as it was told to me." 

1 Now as it was in the days of the man of Uz, so it was in 
the early settlements : " Satan came also," in the person of a 
witch, that he might annoy and vex the feeble ones, and pro- 
voke them to " curse God and die." 

2 Now she entered into the swine, and choked them with 
their victuals ; and she possessed the house-dog, that he howled 
dismally, and the cat, that she screeched wildly about the house, 

3 And also the cock did crow, and the geese did cackle at 
unseasonable hours of the night. 

4 Now an incubus fell upon the sleeper, that he awoke 
with fright, and the infant screamed and refused its mother's 
breast. 

5 Now the kine gave blood instead of milk in the pail, and 
the churner of cream received naught for her labor, and 
swine's flesh turned to oil in the pot with the dinner of herbs. 

6 All this, and more, did this witch do, to the great annoy- 
ance and affright of the people, and against the peace and 
dignity of Israel. 

7 ^[ Now Isaac, the son of Eliab, conceived a passion for Me- 
hitable, the daughter of John, who lived a long mile distant 
across the wood, and he tarried with her until a late hour of 
the night, and departed for his father's house. 

8 Now the witch confronted him at the water-ford, in the 
depth of the wood, and Isaac saw an " unco sight," — phantoms 
and ghosts, and Father Time with his scythe danced before him, 
and blazing fires flitted fantastically upon his right hand and 
upon his left. (i) 

9 The big owl hooted, and the small owl screeched over his 
head, and the hare rustled the dry leaves at its feet. 

10 Now Isaac perceived that he was tormented by a witch, 
and was sore afraid, and said, " If I cross the stream, she will 
cause my feet to slip, and I shall be choked in the waters ; and 
if I turn, and flee to the house of Mehitable, she will cut the 
sinews of my heel, and I shall be roasted alive." 



285 



11 Now Isaac was in a great strait, and wot not what to do, 
and left not his track till the crowing of the cock. 

12 Now Isaac never tarried with Mehitable more. 

13 ^[ Now the death of the witch was after this wise : — 

14 A housewife, who had churned from the rising of the sun 
until the eleventh hour of the day, and brought no butter, said, 
" How long shall I be troubled with this, mine adversary ? " 

15 And she took a horse-shoe, that had been worn, and 
heated it to redness seven times, and cast it into the churn, 
which made the contents to seethe and boil, and again beat the 
cream with the dash, as it were a dozen strokes, and took out 
butter by the pound. 

16 Now it came to pass, at the self-same hour, that two men 
were passing the house of the witch, and heard a scream from 
within, as of one in distress ; 

17 And they entered, and lo ! the woman lay dead on the 
floor, with a mark on her forehead after the similitude of a 
horse-shoe. 

18 Now it was a proverb in Israel, that if the housewife 
churned, and brought butter before sunrise, on the first morn- 
ing of the fifth month of the year the spell of the witch would 
be broken, and the woman would be in luck with her dairy. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE BAPTISTS — COMING OF ISAIAH, AND BUILD- 
ING OF THE TABERNACLE DEATH OF ISAIAH. 

1 In the beginning of the nineteenth century came Isaiah 
the prophet, crying, 

2 " Ho, all ye that pant after the water brooks, come unto 
me, and I will immerse you beneath the waters of Jordan. 

3 " For all other rites and ceremonies concerning baptism 
are but as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals, of none effect." 

4 Now many followed Isaiah, and they builded a tabernacle 
in the land, in the north part thereof, near the habitation of 
Issachar, whose length was twenty cubits, and whose breadth 
twenty cubits, and whose height was twelve cubits and a span. 

5 At the south end thereof was the gate that led to the altar 
at the north end ; 



286 



6 From the gate to the altar was an aisle ; upon either side 
thereof were seats for the hearers ; 

7 On the west of the aisle sat those who wore beards ; and 
on the east sat those whose heads were decked with the roses 
of Sharon, and wore long hair for a covering. 

8 Thus were man and wife separated in the sanctuary. 

9 Now Isaiah, whose surname was Stone, prophesied among 
them many years, and was gathered unto his fathers. 

CHAPTER XI. 

WINTER EVENING FESTIVALS — WHAT HAPPENED 
* TO THE WIFE OF THE MILLER. 

1 Now it was a custom among the first tribe, that after ear- 
ing and harvest, they made feasts, each man at his own house, 
and bade those of his kin and tribe, that his house might be 
filled. 

2 And he sat before them the fruits of his stall, and fowl and 
wild game and honey ; 

3 Also did he set before them the fruits of his orchard and 
vintage. 

4 Now they ate and drank, and repeated anecdotes of olden 
time, and recounted personal exploits and deeds of daring, and 
made merry until a late hour of the night. 

5 Thus did they spend a winter's eve. 

6 ^[ Now there was a man at a feast, an elder of the church, 
of uprightness and integrity; 

7 And he brake the wheat and the barley between the upper 
and nether millstone ; 

8 And his fame was known through all the region round 
about, as there was no mill, for fine flour, like unto the " Dea- 
con Cristy Mill." 

9 Now, like Noah of old, he looked upon the wine when it 
was red, and tarried long at the inn of him that sold strong 
drink. 

10 Now it came to pass that his wife said unto him at the 
feast, 

11 " Wist ye not that it is the twelfth hour of the night ?" 
And he said, "We will go." 



287 



12 Now he drove fine horses, even a span ; and the horses ran 
furiously, and overturned the sleigh, and threw the woman upon 
the ground, even at their own door. 

13 And she arose with a fright, and shook the snow from her 
garments, and said, 

14 " I have reason to thank my Maker that I am not killed." 

15 Now the saying of his wife displeased him much, inas- 
much as it wounded his pride ; for he accounted himself a good 
reinsman. 

16 And he lifted up his voice and said unto her, " Thank 
your Maker ! thank your Maker ! Woman, verily, verily, I say 
unto thee, thou hast far more reason to thank thy driver." 

17 Now this has been a saying and a byword in Israel, until 
the present day. 

CHAPTER XII. 

CALLING OF EPHRAIM — BUILDING THE SECOND 
TEMPLE — BURIAL OF EPHRAIM. 

1 Now the people lamented the death of Solomon ; for a 
faithful shepherd he had been over them. 

2 And they said " Who now will go up to the sanctuary 
before us, and baptize our little ones, and give our daughters 
in marriage, as Solomon has done ? " 

3 And they prayed that the Lord might direct them in their 
choice. 

4 ^[ Now Thomas, an elder in the church, fell into a deep 
sleep, and saw as in a vision, and behold there stood up before 
him a young man in stature like unto Saul the son of Kish, 
whom the Lord directed unto Samuel. 

5 And his countenance beamed with intelligence and joy, 
and was like unto the face of one divinely inspired to preach 
glad tidings. 

6 And he spake many tongues, and his voice was sweet and 
harmonious, like a band of well-tuned instruments ; 

7 And his eloquence was like unto the eloquence of Saul 
of Tarsish when pleading before Agrippa. 

8 Now Thomas awoke, amazed at his dream, and declared 
it unto the brethren ; 



288 

9 And they said : " Is it not Ephraim, the son of John, a hero 
of the Revolution ? Lo, he tarrieth at Carmel, at his father's 
house." 

10 And they sent messengers unto Ephraim, and Ephraim 
came, and was anointed to walk in and out before this people. 

11 And never was there so large a multitude gathered to- 
gether in Israel as on the day of the anointing of Ephraim. 

12 ^[ Now in the eighteenth year of the ministration of 
Ephraim, being the three and twentieth year of the nineteenth 
century, the chief people and elders assembled themselves to- 
gether the third time, and said, — 

13 "Behold our children and children's children worship 
with us in the sanctuary, and their number is legion, and lo, 
the temple our fathers built is too straight for us." 

14 Now they took counsel together, and builded a second 
temple upon the plain, in the field of Ami, a furlong east from 
the first temple ; 

15 Now the length thereof was forty cubits, and the width 
thereof was forty cubits, and the height thereof was eighteen 
cubits, 

16 And the porch before the temple was four cubits, and its 
length twenty cubits. 

17 On the south end of the temple was the tower, whose 
height was four score cubits, with a dial upon three sides there- 
of, made " without hands." (i) 

18 On the south are three doors that open into the porch or 
outer court, and from the porch are three doors that open into 
the sanctuary, and winding-stairs that lead to the upper 
chamber or gallery, on three sides thereof. 

19 Now the height of the altar opposite the middle door of 
the porch, on the north side of the sanctuary, is nine cubits, 
and is overlaid with cushions of scarlet, and at the four corners 
therof hang tassels of purple. 

20 Behind the altar was placed a window, and around the 
window hang curtains of scarlet, and above the curtains is 
written in letters of gold, as upon the arc of the rainbow, 
" Holiness becometh thine house, Lord, forever." 

21 Now there was no temple in all the country round about 
so beautiful and comely in all its proportions as the " Temple 
of Ephraim." 



289 

22 ^[ Now all the days of the pilgrimage of Ephraim were 
three score and eight years, and all the days of his ministry 
among this people were one score and nineteen years, and he 
died. 

23 And his people made great lamentation over him : " My 
father, my father! the chariot of Israel and the horsemen 
thereof." 

24 Now they carried the body of Ephraim into the aisle be- 
fore the altar, and John, a learned divine, spake unto them, 
and comforted them with precious words. 

25 Now they buried Ephraim in the cave upon the hillside, 
where they buried Solomon and the saints in Israel that had 
gone before him, even the cave of Machpelah which they pur- 
chased from Ephron the Hittite. 

20 And they erected a monument of marble, with inscrip- 
tions and devices thereon, that the sons and daughters of Israel, 
sojourning in far countries, as they make pilgrimages once 
more to the homes of their childhood and graves of their sires, 
might see the spot where they laid him. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

C O M I N (J OF JOHN THE PHYSICIAN, — MARRIAGE 
PROCLAMATION — DEATH OF JOHN. 

1 Now there came a young man of fair exterior, of good 
report, and of knowledge and understanding, and his manner 
and speech were pleasing unto the people, and his name was 
John, and he healed the people of their infirmities for many 
years. 

2 Now John was withal a good penman, and was chosen 
many years the people's scribe, to chronicle the votes and laws 
of the town. 

3 Now it was so that the sons and daughters of Israel were 
many, 

4 And the sons were diligent husbandmen, and cunning 
workers of wood and iron, and tradesmen ; 

5 And the daughters were comely and fair, even fairer than 
the last daughters of Job; and they were skilled in the use of 
the needle and management of the dairy. 

37 



290 



6 ^[ Now as it was in the days of Noah, so it was in these 
latter days, they were " married and given in marriage." 

7 Now it was the custom that when a young man was be- 
trothed to a maiden, he gave the chief scribe money, even five 
dimes, to proclaim it three times at the festivals and public 
gatherings of the people. 

8 Now John the scribe, as was his custom, sat with those 
who sang and played the harp in the temple of the Lord on the 
Sabbath day. 

9 Now when Ephraim the priest had done exhorting the peo- 
ple, and the singers had sung, John stood up in his place and 
proclaimed in a. loud voice, in this wise, and all the congrega- 
tion gave heed : — 

10 " Marriage is intended between Major Jesse Obadiah and 
Miss Prances Matilda Zachariah ! " 

11- " Also between Captain Jacob Hezekiah and Miss Maria 
Antoinette Zepheniah ; all of this town." 

12 " Also between Colonel Elias Tobias, of Joppa, and Miss 
Hannah Annis Mordechias, of this town ! " 

13 Thus did John proclaim them that their parents and 
friends might show cause, if any they had, why it should not 
come to pass, or forever hold their peace. 

14 ^[ Now John, whose surname was Dalton, fell sick, and 
died, and a large multitude gathered at his burial. 

15 And the body of John was borne to the tomb by men 
wearing white aprons and gloves ; and they lamented the 
death of John, and threw sprigs of evergreen upon the coffin 
in the grave. 



CHAPTEB XIV.. 

A BURIAL SCENE. 

1 Now the age of Ninian, whose surname was Clark, — one 
of the early fathers, an honorable and upright man, and a mag- 
istrate for many years, — was four score and eight years, and 
his eyes, waxed dim, and he called to his bedside his children, 

2 Even William, his son, and Lydia and Letitia, his daugh- 
ters, for his other sons, Hamilton and Eobert and David and 



291 



Jonathan, were already dead, and Samuel, his youngest, lived 
a great way off; 

3 And he said unto them, " Gather yourselves together, your 
wives, your husbands, and little ones, and hearken unto Ninian, 
your father. 

4 " Behold, the days of my pilgrimage are fulfilled, and I go 
hence, and the place that knows me will soon know me no more 
forever." 

5 And he charged them, and said unto them, " I am to be 
gathered unto my people ; 

6 Bury me in the cave in the field of Machpelah, which I 
and my neighbors bought of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession 
of a burial-place. 

7 There we buried Solomon, our beloved pastor, and there I 
buried Mary, the mother of you all, and there I also buried her 
sons, David and Jonathan." 

8 Now after Ninian had made* an end of commanding his 
children, he drew up his knees in the bed, and yielded up the 
ghost, and was gathered unto his people. 

9 Now when the day of his burial had come, his children 
and children's children gathered themselves together, clothed 
in sackcloth, and a large multitude gathered there also. 

10 Now Ephraim, the priest, stood up in their midst, and 
comforted them, and when he spake to them of the faith and 
hope and charity of Ninian, he moved the multitude to tears. 

11 Now they passed around the coffin, and looked upon the 
face of Ninian, their father and friend and neighbor, and wept. 

12 And the body was borne to its burial, and a large proces- 
sion followed ; according to the age and relation of the deceased, 
did they follow in order. 

13 Now when the coffin was let into the grave, John, the 
physician, and conductor of the ceremony, uncovered his head, 
and spake aloud, saying, 

14 " In behalf of the chief mourners, I thank you, friends 
and neighbors, for this last tribute of respect for the deceased, 

' and for burying their dead out of their sight. The bearers and 
friends are requested to return to the house of mourning." 

15 Now the children and children's children, and friends and 
relatives of Ninian, returned to the house of mourning, and 



292 



ate of the fatted calf, and drank wine, as was the custom in 
those days, and each then departed unto his own house. (1) 

CHAPTER XV. 

COMING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

1 In those days came John the Baptist, like one crying in 
the wilderness, 

2 "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths 
straight." 

3 Now many believed in the preaching of John, and were 
baptized of him in Jordan, which is, by interpretation, " Scoby 
Brook." 

4 Now this same John was clothed in raiment of broadcloth 
and fine linen, with a white scarf about his neck, and sandals 
upon his feet. 

5 Now during the faithful administration of John, the church 
increased an hundred-fold. 

6 And they also waxed in pride, for they said, " Behold the 
temple of Bphraim, and the unpainted tabernacle our fathers 
worshipped in is a hissing and a by-word." 

7 Now they took counsel together, and builded a second 
temple in the valley, by the river's bank, 

9 Where dwelleth the innkeeper and the merchant-men of 
Israel, and they that heal the sick, and the miller, and the 
workers of wood and iron, and he that stitcheth blinkers with 
an awl ; 

10 And where is also the tabernacle of learning, and the 
grand sanhedrim, where the people do yearly congregate to do 
penance, by taxing themselves, and choose whom they shall 
serve, or who shall serve them, and make long harangues, and 
pass some lawful and many unlawful acts. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST, OR JACKSON BARBACUE. 

1 Now it came to pass, in the last year of the reign of John 
the second, whose surname was Adams, that the Whigs, who 
had chosen John aforetime, said among themselves, 



2& 



. 2 " John doeth well, and we will choose him to sit at the 
head of the assembled wisdom of the nation, yet other four 
years." 

3 But the Democrats said " Nay ; we will choose Andrew, 
a valiant warrior, and hero of many battles, to preside over the 
destinies of the nation." 

4 Now the Democrats strove against the Whigs, and vexed 
them sore, and cast out John, and put Andrew in his place. 

5 Now it happened on a day, which is to say, the first month 
of the year, and eighth day of the month, which is the day 
when Andrew overthrew the hosts of the king, and slew them 
hip and thigh, that there were none left to tell the tale, 

6 That Samuel, whose surname was Trull, an innkeeper in 
the land, made a, great feast, and bade the friends of Andrew 
without stint. 

7 And Samuel slew an ox, and sacrificed him whole upon 
the party altar. (I) 

8 And multitudes came and filled his house, and ate of the 
ox, and drank of his wine, and sang songs, and danced, and 
made merry in their hearts ; 

9 For they said, " We have conquered our political enemy, 
the Whigs, and digged about them, and hedged them in, inas- 
much as we have chosen Andrew over John." 

10 Now there was a man at the feast whose head' was 
whitened with the frosts of many winters, a councillor in the 
land for many years, and his name was the name of the Lord's 
anointed, even Samuel. 

11 Now Samuel stood up among them, leaning upon his staff, 
and prophesied unto them, saying, 

12 " I hath, as I hoping, that Jackson seed may ne'er depre- 
ciate, but increase from generation to generation, until e'en the 
mules themselves do bring forth their young." 

13 Now the prophecy of Samuel pleased them much, and 
the multitude sent up three shouts like unto the shouts of the 
hosts of Joshua, that rent the walls of Jericho. 



294 

CHAPTER XVII. 

i 

COMING OP FRANCIS AND JAMES AND NELSON. 

1 Now after John, came Francis, fresh from the " Whited 
Sepulchre filled with dead men's bones," skilled in the art of 
healing, and filled with medical lore. (m) 

2 Now Francis, whose surname was Fitch, was of a perverse 
and obdurate heart, steeled against the smiles and fascinations 
of women ; for he said, like Paul, " ' It is better that all men 
should be as I am ; ' 

2 " Howbeit marriages increase the number of my ' loaves 
and fishes,' so let them marry who will, for my purse's sake." 

4 So Francis preserved his identity, and lived a " bachelor," 
which caused many a damsel to mourn, and refuse to be com- 
forted. 

5 Now Francis tarried many seasons, and departed for the 
plains of lawgivers and synagogues and prisons. 

6 ^[ Now after Francis, came James, the son of Josiah, the 
lawyer, and he lodged in the inn of one Pharisee (Faris.) 

7 Now James, whose surname was Danforth, rebelled against 
the monkish celibacy of his illustrious predecessor, and was 
smitten with the beauty of Israel, and took a wife of the daugh- 
ters of the house of William, of the tribe of Ninian. 

8 And there was much. mourning among the damsels of Is- 
rael, who exclaimed, " Alas for us ; for while we were busy here 
and there, he was gone ! " And thus they wept, while James 
rejoiced, and gave heed unto the sick of the land. 

9 Lastly there came one Nelson, whose surname is Clark, 
from the cold regions of the North, saying, " Come unto me, 
all ye sick, lame, and suffering, and I will give you rest, not by 
means of the nauseating drugs of the apothecary, but by the in- 
finitessimal saccharine globules whose taste is pleasant, and 
whose virtue is sure." And the people listened to Nelson and 
were healed. 

CHAPTEE XVIII. 

VALEDICTION. 

Humble mansion, within whose portals we drew our first 
breath, and gazed with an infant's stare upon the morning 



295 



light, and from whose altar the morning and evening incense 
arose, and from whose gates the beggar ne'er turned him away 
empty, farewell ! 

Farewell ! ye Elms of Zoar and Poplars of Hebron, against 
whose trunks the northern blasts have spent their strength for 
naught, and amid whose branches the evening breeze discoursed 
sweet music, and in whose shade we gambolled and fell asleep 
hi childhood. 

Humble school-house, farewell ! where first we lisped our 
a, b, abs, to the now venerable Jesse, whose surname was 
Beard, and in boyhood's rougher years we tugged at roots and 
felt the rod, and where at the noontide hour we joined the 
joyous throng at athletic games and sports, and with tactics 
military, purely original, we besieged, with boisterous shouts, 
that made the welkin ring, and took snow forts by storm. 

Farewell ! ye forests and hunting-grounds ; where in days 
of yore, we, with sinewey arm and measured stroke, the " wood- 
man's axe " wielded, and brought to earth, with the thunder's 
crash, thy proudest monarch s ; and where, with our grand 
ancestral fowling-piece, dropped the cunning fox and timid 
hare, as on swift foot they fled the thirsty blood-hound's deep- 
muttered bay, as in the fresh track he scents his game, and in 
mad haste pursues. 

Ye meandering brooks and mountain streams, farewell ! 
where oft in boyhood's days, we, with the angler's rod and line, 
tempted with delusive bait the speckled tenants of thy bubbling 
waters. 

Ye mountains of Gilboa, whose tops rend the clouds in twain, 
the theatre of those grand terrific scenes upon which we oft 
did gaze with mingled awe and admiration, as on thy gigantic 
front and sides the lightnings crashed and thunders echoed, 
farewell ! 

Farewell, old familiar hillside, where stood the first temple 
dedicated to the triune God, and at whose baptismal font the 
hand of Ephraim was placed upon our infant brow : and where 
in early childhood we repeated our first Sabbath-school lesson, 
and wondered with childlike curiosity at the meaning of the 
distribution of those symbolic elements to the sacramental 
host. 



296 

Cave of Machpelah, farewell ! where the polished marble 
tells the passer-by, that here repose the dead. During the past 
century a rich harvest has been gathered within thy sacred 
embrace. Here the loving and loved of earth sleep and know 
no waking, until mortal shall put on immortality. Here ma- 
ternal breasts, on which our infant head reposed, lie treasured in 
thy sacred urn until the " resurrection morn." 

A sacred trust thou hast in keeping, and most sacredly art 
thou fulfilling thy pledge, Grave ! Venerable and illustrious 
dead, loving and beloved, " peace to your ashes ! " 

Old New Boston, all hail to thee ! home of our childhood 
how pleasant are thy gates, and thy temples how beautiful to 
the eye of the returning pilgrim ! The eagle buildeth her nest 
in thy high places ; the ox grazeth by thy river's bank, and the 
kid and fattlings feed upon thy hillsides, and the horse 
snuffeth the battle afar off. Thy sons go forth the third time 
to meet the enemy and return not empty-handed, and thy 
daughters are those whose children rise up and call them 
blessed. " Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within 
thy palaces." Again, peace, and farewell! (0) 

CHAPTER XIX. 

APPENDIX TO CHRONICLES. 

Note «, Ch. 1. — " Build a city." The French settled Louisi- 
ana, Spain, Florida, English Jamestown, Dutch New York, 
etc. 

Note b, Ch. 2. — " Meadows," etc. Beaver Meadows, vide 
Parker's History of Londonderry. 

Note c, Ch. 3. — "Beyond Jordan." The Merrimac lies 
about midway between Derry and New Boston. " Joppa," a 
small village in Bedford, between the river and New Boston. 

Note (1), Ch. 4. — Some married cousins. 

Note d, Ch. 4. — " Pewter." An entire set of pewter platters 
and plates, consisting of fourteen pieces, now grace as a relic 
of antiquity the open, kitchen cupboard of Peggy Cochran, on 
Cochran Hill, which her mother brought from Londonderry, 
over a century ago, as part of her wedding dower. It was used 
as table-service at the " antiquarian picnic," on the Monday 



297 



following the centennial, when some twenty-live descendants 
from that venerable, weather-beaten mansion, that has bravely 
withstood the storms of a century, representing four genera- 
tions and three States, held a social reunion to pay their re- 
spects to the aged tenant, who, with the exception of one sister, 
is the only living representative of her generation, whose name 
was once legion. 

The old-fashioned pot of " baked beans," brown bread," 
and " mug of cider," were prominent items in the " bill of fare." 
Before partaking of the bountiful repast, a select portion of 
Scripture was read by one of the number, from an old family 
Bible, and a feeling and pertinent address made, and a blessing 
invoked by Eev. Mr. Cogswell, who, with his estimable lady, 
were invited guests. 

Note e, Ch. 5. — " Derry Fair." An annual festival held at 
Deny, where stock and household manufactures were taken to 
be sold or exchanged. 

Note/, Ch. 7. — " Hour-glass." As clocks and watches were 
rare in those days, the hour-glass was the only measure of 
time. 

Note g; Ch. 8. — " Second advent." The numerous and in- 
dustrious family of Dodges. As they were mostly from towns 
bordering on the coast in the vicinity of Salem, Mass., and being 
an admixture of English and Welch and inheriting, by associa- 
tion, much of the peculiar phraseology of the fishermen of the 
coast, their mode of expression was, as might be supposed, 
different from that of the Scptch and Irish of the first families. 

Note h, Ch. 9. — "Witch, etc." Many of the Scotch-Irish 
settlers were firm believers in the witch legends of father-land. 

Note i, " Blazing fires." Jack O'Lanterns, Will O'Wisps, 
Ignis Fatuus. 

Note i, Ch. 12. — " Without hands." The edifice is yet want- 
ing a clock to make it complete. 

Note _;', Ch. 14. — " Drank wine." It was a universal custom 
to furnish one or more kinds of spirits at funerals. The wife 
of Deacon Thomas Cochran, who died in 1829, was the first 
person of any note buried without that ceremony. The tem- 
perance question began to be agitated about that time. 

Note I, Ch. 16. — " Sacrificed." Roasted whole. 

38 



298 



Note m, Ch. 17. — " Whited Sepulchre," Medical Buildings. 
Hanover. 

Note n, " Have faith ; " homeopathic. 

Note o, Ch. 18. — " Third time." Revolution, War of 1812, 
and the Rebellion of 1861. 



BUSINESS AND INTERESTING LOCALITIES. 



As the settlement of New Boston began in the northeast part 
of the town, for some years business was confined to that re- 
gion, though, of course, but little was done prior to 1760, yet 
there was a small stock of goods kept in a dwelling-house near 
Walker's Mills, as early as 1755. About this time, the settle- 
ments were being pushed into other parts, and Cochran Hill 
became a place of interest. A Mr. McGaw built a house here, 
and kept a tavern and store ; and Joseph Towns traded near 
where the late John D. Cochran's house stands, sold to Thomas 
Stark, and removed to Hopkinton. Stark traded here some 
years, was burned out, resumed his business, and was suc- 
ceeded by Ira Wilkins. Wilkins continued for a few years, and 
was succeeded by James Ray, of Mount Vernon. For a while, 
Nathaniel Martin traded here. This Thomas Stark was a 
nephew of the elder General Stark, married the daughter of 
Dr. Jonathan Gove, ultimately failed in business, and died in 
Dunbarton. Near King's Mills, Samuel Worthly traded for 
several years. As early as 1760, a store was opened on Brad- 
ford Hill. John McLaughlen carried on a large business here, 
for many years, keeping also a tavern, which was extensively 
patronized, the great thoroughfare through the town being over 
this hill. This was the grand central business locality, for a suc- 
cession of years. A store was kept many years by Mr. Lamson, 
in a part of the Dea. White house ; and the tanning of hides 
was carried on for years, traces of the pits being yet discover- 
able in Mr. Abraham Wason's field. He, also, kept a tavern. 
Mr. Joseph Lamson, a little to the south of this, for many 
years kept a tavern ; so it is evident that over this road, at the 
base of Joe English's, on the west, there must have been much 
travel. A public house and store were, for many years, kept 
near Mrs. John Lynch's, on the turnpike. Mr. John Moor did 



300 



business for some years. A store was kept, for a while, near 
the residence of the late Dea. Issachar Andrews, by Samuel 
Morgan, with whose death trade ceased here. 

As we have said, the principal business locality was the cen- 
tral part of the town. Capt. John McLaughlen, who kept a 
store and tavern on Bradford's Hill, at length carried on the 
business of tanning, near the residence of Mr. Sidney Hills. 
Here he opened a slaughter-house, and killed a great many cat- 
tle, salting the flesh for a foreign market, and retaining the 
skins for tanning. And this soon became the centre of busi- 
ness. Several stores were opened, and two or three taverns 
were kept. Mr. James Sloan had a store in a part of the 
house now used for the parsonage of the Presbyterian church ; 
in which building was " Long Hall," which was often used for 
select schools, and other purposes deemed important in those 
days. It was here that Jonathan Cochran, John Goodhue, John 
and Nathaniel Safford, Nathaniel Cleeves, Levi Bixby, Moses 
Whitney, Rodney M'Oollom, Samuel and Butler Trull, Parker 
Warren, and Nehemiah Trull, carried on mercantile business. 
It was here Capt. Geary Whiting, Samuel Trull, and Ira 
Clough prosecuted a large business in tanning. Here Water- 
man Burr, Esq., Micah Lawrence, Esq., and Amos W. Tewks- 
bury commenced their successful business career. About 1825, 
what is now called the " Lower Village " began to be built, and 
soon business was transferred from the " Upper Village " to 
this, as it had been from Bradford's Hill to the " Upper Vil- 
lage." The opening of new lines of travel have produced great 
changes in business localities. Until within a few years, Burr, 
Lawrence, and Tewksbury continued, in the " Lower Village," 
the business which they began in the " Upper Village ; " here, 
also, traded David G. Fuller, Alexander Dickey, Stephen Whip- 
ple, John Gregg ; and still later, James and Dexter Smith, 
James and David Gregg, Joseph Whipple, and Solomon Atwood. 

Nestled in this valley, on either side of the " South Branch " 
of the Piscataquog, is the principal village, consisting of some 
fifty dwelling-houses, three stores, one tavern, a large school- 
house, two stories in height, with ample halls, and modern im- 
provements, built in 1856, at the expense of nearly four thou- 
sand dollars, where the children are divided into two grades, 



301 



and called together, by the musical tones of a bell, the Baptist 
church and the Town House. This latter is the old Presbyte- 
rian meeting-house, that formerly stood on the hillside, just 
south of the burial-ground. It is of the same dimensions as 
formerly, except in its height. The lower part is used for 
meetings of the town, while the upper was finished for a school- 
hall, for which purpose it has been much used. In the upper 
part, also, is a room in which the selectmen transact their busi- 
ness. 

Pending over this village, on the south, is the " Upper Vil- 
lage," the central graveyard, and the Presbyterian meeting- 
house with its lofty steeple and rich-toned bell. 

To one standing on the highest part of Clark's Hill, a beau- 
tiful panorama unfolds itself on every hand. Some fourteen 
towns can be seen by the unassisted eye. Monadnock, Kear- 
sarge, and other eminences are prominent among the objects of 
interest. This locality is associated with the thriving and chris- 
tian families of Clarks, who lived and died here. 

Cochran's Hill, like the Clark Hill, is in the western part of 
the town, not as high as the latter, yet a beautiful swell of land, 
with rich scenery around it, and associated with the early fam- 
ilies of Cochrans and Crombies. These families were in afflu- 
ent circumstances, and remarkable for their hospitality and 
social propensities. Bradford's Hill is near the centre of the 
town, and nearly as high as any point of land by which it is 
surrounded. The hill was first settled by John McLaughlen, 
and here the Rev. Mr. Bradford lived for nearly forty years, 
and from him it takes its name. On the west, in the distance, 
Monadnock is seen struggling to raise its head above the shoul- 
der of an intervening range of hills. On the north, Kearsarge 
bares its head to the blast of the storm, and Mount Washington 
deigns at times to unveil his lofty peak. The Unconoonucs re- 
pose in quiet beauty on the east, beyond which are seen the 
heights around Laconia and Lake Winnipiseogee. To the 
south, the eye stretches indefinitely towards Ashby and Ash- 
burnham, Mass. The rising and setting of the sun in the sum- 
mer, and its setting through the entire year, are obscured by no 
material object ; and the west winds come sweeping over a vast 
region of country, checked by no intervening barrier. The 



302 - 

lungs can always expand and be filled here, while the eye never 
tires in beholding objects, whose attractions are so many and 
so varied, nor in watching the endless phenomena of clouds 
and winds. The stars seem nearer than on most elevations. 
The scenery in winter is indescribably rich. The pure snow- 
carpet on hill and valley, on a calm day, stretching in all direc- 
tions save one, as far as the eye can reach, with a thousand cot- 
tages embosomed, is a scene of rare attraction. And when the 
winds are abroad, and the snow is in high spirits, the ever- 
shifting snow-wave, the scowling face of the cloud, the cease- 
less sport of the wind, changing its form continually, present 
an ever-varying scene of thrilling interest to the spectator. We 
have seldom, or never, seen a location so well adapted to the 
large lungs, and larger heart of him, whose name is forever to 
be associated with it. It is emphatically Bradford's Hill. 
" What God hath joined together let no man put asunder." 

Wason's Hill is believed to be the highest point of cultivated 
land in the town, from which the prospect is beautiful in several 
directions. This elevation is pleasantly associated with Dea. 
Robert White, with whom Rev. S. Moor lived at the time of 
his installation, and also with many other influential families. 
" Joe English" stands in the southern part of the town, attain- 
ing a height of 572 feet from its base. On the north the ascent 
is not difficult, the slope extending a considerable distance, so 
that in this direction it might be ascended by carriages. On 
the east it is more abrupt, while on the south it presents a 
bold and seemingly perpendicular and craggy front. The top 
and parts of its sides are covered with trees. This hill over- 
looks a great region of country. Near it are nestled the vil- 
lages of Mont Yernon, Amherst, Prancestown, Merrimac, and 
Dunbarton, and the cities of Manchester and Nashua. Ando- 
ver, Mass., and other towns in that direction maybe seen, while 
the eye stretches indefinitely into Maine, in the direction of 
Saddleback Mountain, between Deerfield and Northwood, and 
Pawtuckaway, between Deerfield and Nottingham. 

" Joe English " was an object of great interest to the early set- 
tlers, since it designated to their friends in Londonderry, Chester, 
Tyngsborough and other places, the locality of their humble 
homes ; and from this height they could easily trace the com- 



803 



munities they had left for ruder dwellings in the " woods." 
This hill was, no doubt, a favorite resort of Indians, so long as 
they lingered in this region. It is known that remnants of 
tribes lingered long on the branches of the Piscataquog, in 
which fish abounded, and where lingered the mink, the beaver, 
and other game. The Indians that used to live along the 
Merrimac and its tributaries, were the Agawams, Wamesits or 
Pawtuckets, the Nashuas, the Sougans, the Namoskeags, the 
Penacooks, and the Winnepesaukees. In process of time, 
through various causes, these became merged into one tribe, 
and were indiscriminately called Penacooks. Namoskeag was 
the royal residence of the ancient Sagamores of this great tribe, 
while at the mouth of the Piscataquog River was a considerable 
village. The Sagamores most worthy of mention among the 
Penacooks, were Passaconaway, Wonnalancet, his son, and 
Kancamagus, usually called John Hodgkins, his grandson ; 
Passaconaway appears first in 1627 or 1628 ; he was a power- 
ful warrior, and died prior to 1669, being a faithful friend to 
the English. Wonnalancet was chief of the tribe in 1669, and 
was converted to Christianity in 1674, through the preaching of 
the Rev. John Eliot, and ever afterwards exhibited a meek and 
quiet spirit, and proved an abiding friend to the whites. Won- 
nalancet was succeeded in 1685 by Kancamagus, better known 
as John Hodgkins, son of Naunomocumuck, Passaconaway's 
eldest son. He was a brave and wise chieftain, and losing his 
respect for the English authorities, became a formidable enemy 
to the settlements in the neigborhood of the Merrimac River. 
He is last heard of in 1691, near which time it is believed he 
died in friendship with the English. 

When the grant of New Boston was obtained, in 1763, no 
considerable tribe was to be found in the region, yet fragments 
of tribes temporarily abode both within the limits of the 
township, and at different points on the Merrimac and its 
tributaries, up to nearly that period ; and though New Boston 
never suffered much from depredations, yet the settlers lived 
in fear of roving squads of them. 

Joe English has sometimes been called IngalFs Hill, or Indos, 
but its true name is " Joe English," which it received from a 
noted Indian of that name. In his History of Manchester, the 



304 



Hon. C. E. Potter, alluding to this eminence, thus writes : — 
" It is noted, and is of much curiosity as a freak of nature. It 
is precipitous and abrupt on its southern end, having the ap- 
pearance of the southern part of the hill being carried away by 
some convulsion of nature. In fact the hill terminates on the 
south in a rough precipice, presenting in the distance a height 
of some two or three hundred feet, and almost perpendicular. 
The hill took its name from an incident of olden time connected 
with this precipice. In 1705 or 1706, there was an Indian liv- 
ing in these parts, noted for his friendship for the English set- 
tlers upon the lower Merrimac. He was an accomplished 
warrior and hunter, but following the counsels of Passacona- 
way and Wonnalancet, he continued steadfast in his partiality 
for his white neighbors. From this fact the Indians, as was 
their wont, gave him the name, significant of this trait, of ' Joe 
English.' In course of time the Indians, satisfied that Joe 
gave information of their hostile designs to the English, deter- 
mined upon killing him upon the first fitting opportunity. Ac- 
cordingly, just at twilight, they found Joe upon one of the 
branches of the ' Squog,' hunting, and commenced an attack 
upon him ; but he escaped from them, two or three in number, 
and made directly for this hill, in the southern part of New 
Boston. With the quick thought of the Indian, he made up 
his mind that the chances were against him in a long race, and 
he must have recourse to stratagem. As he ran up the hill, he 
slackened his pace, until his pursuers were almost upon him, 
that they might become more eager in the pursuit. Once near 
the top he started off with great rapidity, and the Indians after 
him, straining every nerve. As Joe came upon the brink of the 
precipice before mentioned, he leaped behind a jutting rock, 
and waited in breathless anxiety. But a moment passed, and 
the hard breathing and measured but light footsteps of his 
pursuers were heard, and another moment, with a screech and 
yell, their dark forms were rolling down the rocky precipice, to 
be left at its base, food for hungry wolves ! 

" Henceforth the hill was called Joe English, and well did his 
constant friendship deserve so enduring a monument. 

" ' Joe English ' was the grandson of the Sagamon of Aga- 
wam (now Ipswich), whose name was Wosconnomet. 



305 



" ' Joe English ' came to his death in consequence of his fidel- 
ity to the whites. The hostile Indians determined upon liis 
death, and kept constantly upon his path. At length, July 27, 
170G, Lieutenant Butterfield and his wife, riding betwixt Dun- 
stable and Chelmsford, on horseback, with Joe English as 
companion and a guard, fell into an Indian ambuscade. The 
horse was shot upon the first fire, Butterfield and his wife fall- 
ing to the ground. The main object of the Indians being to 
secure 'Joe,' Butterfield and the soldier made their escape, 
while the Indians (one of the party being left in charge of Mrs. 
Butterfield) went in pursuit of him. ' Joe ' made for the woods, 
several Indians in full pursuit, and finding them gaining upon 
him, he turned about and presented his gun as if to fire. The 
Indians, fearing his fatal aim, fell upon the ground, and Joe 
took to his heels for life. Again the Indians gained upon him, 
and 'Joe' again presented his trusty gun, and for fear of it 
the Indians again threw themselves upon the ground. This 
was repeated several times, until ' Joe' had almost gained the 
thick woods, when one of the Indians, despairing of taking him 
alive, and fearing he would escape them, fired upon him, break- 
ing the arm with which he held the gun. The gun fell to the 
ground and ' Joe ' redoubled his speed. But just as he gained 
the wood, a shot struck his thigh and he fell to the ground. 
His fall was the signal for a yell of triumph from the Indians in 
pursuit. When they came up to him, they expressed their 
pleasure in no measured terms. ' Now, Joe,' said they, ' we 
got you ; you no tell English, again, we come ! ' ' No,' retorted 
Joe, ' Cap'n Butterfield tell that at Pawtucket.' ' Hugh ! ' 
exclaimed the Indians, the thought just striking them that the 
soldiers at the block-houses, at Pawtucket or Dunstable, alarm- 
ed by the whites who had escaped, would lie upon them in a 
short time. There was no time for delay. Joe could not be 
carried away, and one of them buried his hatchet in the head 
of the prostrate Indian. Thus died 'Joe English,' the faithful 
friend of the white man. The services of ' Joe English ' were 
considered so meritorious that a grant was made to his wife 
and two children, by the Legislature of Massachusetts, because, 
as the words of the grant have it, ' he died in the service of his 
country ! ' " 

39 



MES. SARAH THERESA WASON. 



She is the daughter of Capt. John Lamson, born March 18, 
1821. Mrs. Wason was educated at the district school, and at 
New Ipswich Academy. Feb. 22, 1843, she became the wife of 
Mr. Abram Waaon, a worthy farmer residing near Joe Eng- 
lish, on a farm once owned by Dca. Robert White. Mr. Wason 
was the son of James Wason, a brother of the late Dea. Robert 
Wason. The children of the late James Wason arc : Thomas, 
who married Mary Emeline Cowdry, of Lunenburg, Mass., Jan. 
5, 183(5. His second wife was Mary Ann Lawton, of Shirley, 
Mass., who was married April 2, 1851. He married, for his 
third wife, Harriet Lawton, of Shirley, Mass., Feb. 22, 1855, 
and resides in Mount Vernon, N. H. Robert married Martha 
F. Murray, of Charlcstown, Mass., April 8, 1841. He married, 
for his second wife, Harriet Hall, of Charlestown, Mass., in 
1852. Alcinda married Perley Batchelder, of Mount Vernon, 
N. H., July 8, 1841, where they reside. David married Julia 
M. Leeland, of Somervillc, Mass., Dec. 25, 1843, and resides 
in California. William married Frances Hazeltine, of Am- 
herst, N. H., Sept. 30, 1847, and resides in , Watertown, Mass. 
James Putnam married Eliza Baker, of Billerica, Mass., Oct. 
1847, and resides in California. John died Dec. 25, 1845, 
aged 20 years. Horace died Nov. 13, 1847, aged 29. William 
died Oct. 12, 1855, aged 43. 

Mrs. Wason's poetical taste has been inspired by the bold and 
delightful scenery amid which she has lived, by the broad acres 
her husband has tilled, and by the flowers cultivated with her 
own care. Her occasional productions have been received with 
much commendation. Modest and retiring, she has shrunk 
from public notoriety, and, with great reluctance, submitted the 
hymns found in the centennial proceedings and the ensuing 
poem, for publication : — 



JOE ENGLISH MEMORIES. 



Post remember, clear Joe English, 

Thine ancient, youthful day, 
How creation's mighty Maker 

Fashioned thine eternal clay ? 
Hast thou stood in silent grandeur 

These thousand, thousand years ? 
Thy face uncovered, upward turned 

To Him who rules the spheres ? 

Dost remember, dear Joe English, 

If thou hadst another name 
Before the red man christened thee, 

When the early English came ? 
Didst thou guard their " smoky wigwams " 

As thou hast the white man's home, 
And love and cherish Uncas' tribe, 

And tribes before them, gone ? 

Dost remember sixteen ninety, 

How the council-fire burned bright, 
When young Joe English's doom was said, 

For his friendship to the white, 
And a wily, red-faced warrior, 

In skulking, Indian style, 
Went to hunt the missing culprit 

Round thy huge, old granite pile ? 

That amid the silent darkness 
The doomed one lurked anear, 

The hot blood mounting to his brow 
Such black treachery to hear, 



310 

And with light, elastic footstep 

Overtook his crafty foe, 
And his deadly English musket 

Laid the dusky savage low ? 

Rememberest thou when Tories 

" Burned the Pope " among the trees ? 
('Twas the effigy of Washington 

That swung in the autumnal breeze,) 
How they came again the next year, 

To repeat their much-loved fun, 
And party spirit grew so strong, 

That the Tories had to run ? 

Those were days when dreaded witches 

Held an undisputed sway, 
And took the cattle from their stalls 

To the scaffold on the hay ; 
Used to hide within the cream-pot 

When the churning days came round, 
And the heated poker's burning mark 

On the witch was always found. 

Dost remember, dear Joe English, 

How they searched thee, o'er and o'er, 
For the pot of hidden treasure, 

And the gold thou hadst in store ; 
And no richly hidden treasure, 

Neither gems of gorgeous hue, 
But thy solid granite boulders 

Ever met their longing view ? 

That for miles around the country 

Mysterious lights were seen 
Flitting round thy sacred summit 

When the darkness reigned supreme ? 
That the goblins, ghosts, and witches, 

And the money-diggers' crew 



311 

Vanished when the light of morning 
Streaked the distant eastern blue ? 

Dost remember, dear Joe English, 

The cottage, mossed and brown, 
Reared upon thy northern summit, 

On a green and grassy lawn, 
Where the eye could ever linger 

On New Hampshire's " Crystal Hills," 
On her silvery lakes' deep settings. 

On her winding, rushing rills ? 

Far up, within that mountain home 

A group of children fair 
First conned their life's great lesson from 

Their mother's earnest prayer, 
Sadly gazed their farewell parting 

By that humble cottage door, 
With their buoyant hearts so trusting 

In the untried world before. 

That youthful boy of golden hair 

Wears honor's radiant crown, 
And fortune's smile is over him, 

And showers her blessings down. 
Bright, shining laurels, ever green, 

Are upon another's brow, 
As he sits in stately council 

With our mighty nation now. 

Dost remember, dear Joe English, 

Among thy many joys, 
Those Western troops, a numerous throng 

Of right merry girl's and boys, 
How they grew to manhood's portion 

In thy bracing mountain air, 
Plow their sterling self-reliance 

Sought other homes and cares V 



312 

Dost know, that he of gifted mind 

Early passed away from earth 
To where the flowers immortal bloom, 

Where no ties are torn by death ? 
Another loved one sweetly sleeps 

'Neath Mount Auburn's sacred dust, 
Who gave, with liberal hand and heart, 

God's blessings held in trust. . 

Life's fleeting years have sped away, 

And one among that band 
Is telling messages from God, 

In a far-off Western land ; 
Another wields the golden wand 

So many fail to win, — 
'Mong Brookline's splendid palace homes 

His princely home is seen. 

Within a sheltered, sunny nook 

Adown thy fertile vale, 
A once delightful, pleasant home 

Yet stands the threatening gale, 
Lived one who served his country well 

In Revolution times, 
Who crossed old ocean's foamy deep 

To many foreign climes. 

Long time ago, in life's young morn, 

A proud, impulsive boy 
Went forth from out that early home, 

In a seaman's bold employ. 
The waves dashed o'er the noble ship 

In a tempest-storm, one day ; — 
These sixty years his bones have slept 

In Chesapeake's sandy bay. 

Remember'st thou, in by-gone days, 
Doctor Hugh McMillen's fame, 



313 

His wondrous skill in medicine, 

And the trials he o'ercame ? 
There're many legends told of him 

Where thy loved name is known ; 
His cool, shrewd, philosophic mind 

Stood undaunted and alone. 

His father bore an elder's part 

In the church's earliest call, 
And filled an honored member's seat 

In the legislative hall ; 
His numerous sons and daughters, 

His descendants scatter wide, 
From northern shores and southern clime, 

To Pacific's peaceful tide. 

Close nestled 'neath thy changeless face, 

Two homes stood side by side, 
Whose heads were elders in the church, — 

Whose sons are scattered wide, 
And " when mankind were wrapped in sleep,' 1 

At midnight's mystic hour, 
Devouring flames consumed those homes 

With reckless, fearful power. 

Know'st thou that California's land 

Has mystic charms untold, — 
That many reared among thy homes 

Have sought those mines for gold ? 
That one gathered rich treasures up 

With earnest, careful hand, 
Then came to breathe life's last fond sigh 

Among his household band ? 

There, grassy mounds are over some 

Who never came again : 
And oh, the weary days and nights, 

When the fever burned their veins ! 

40 



314 



No loving mother near, to bathe 
The aching, throbbing brow, 

Or say sweet words of gentle trust, 
As the passing spirit bowed. 



Dost thou know our first loved pastor 

Lived anear thy mountain throne, — 
That his children oft have gathered 

In the old ancestral home ? 
Grandsons twain went forth in honor 

From old Dartmouth's classic hall, 
And another's heaping treasure 

Where the golden cascades fall. 

Dost remember, dear Joe English, 

In seventeen seventy-nine, 
When good old Deacon White lived here 

In vigorous manhood's prime, — 
Of the quaint, old-fashioned wedding, 

When his daughter 'came a bride, — 
Of the three days' jovial feasting 

Ere she left his home and side ? — 

That this dear old, ancient homestead, 

So rich in scenery grand, 
Has been the dwelling-place of scores 

In this our far-famed land ? — 
That sorrow mingled with their joys 

In the days of long ago, 
When some dear, cherished form was laid 

In the grave so cold and low ? 

Know'st thou our loyal-hearted sons, 
Whose names we're proud to tell, 

Were cradled 'mid these granite hills, 
And drank at Freedom's well ? 

They said " Good-by " to friends and thee, 
To their childhood's cherished home : 



315 

They've gone to plant our nation's flag- 
Where bold, rank treason roams. 

Dost thou know, dear old Joe English, 

'Tis our centennial day, 
And eager, longing eyes have come 

From homes far, far away, 
To gaze once more upon thy face, 

Once more review past scenes, 
Once more recall youth's ardent hopes, 

And childhood's sweetest dreams 1 

Dost know, dear, changeless, silent friend, 

That our lives are passing on ? 
Soon for us the keenest joys we feel 

Will be numbered o'er and gone ; 
Soon the loving hearts that cherish thee 

With tenderest memories green, 
Will faint and falter in life's work, 

And the grave will come between. 



REV. HIRAM WASON. 



He was son of the late lamented Dea. Robert Wason, and 
was born December 18, 1814. He united with the Presbyterian 
Church in 1831, and began to fit for college the following year, 
attending the first of a series of select schools in New Boston, 
taught in the Long Hall, by Wm. Hall. He completed the pre- 
paratory course at Prancestown, and entered Amherst College 
in 1834, graduating in 1838, and immediately commenced 
teaching in New Ipswich Academy. His health failing, in the 
autumn of 1839, he went South, and spent nearly a year teach- 
ing in a private family in Georgia. Returning North, he spent 
one year at Andover Theological Seminary ; but for the sake of 
milder winters went to New Haven, Ct., and remained the two 
following years in the Theological Seminary there. In 1843 
he was licensed by the Londonderry Presbytery, at Greenfield ; 
and the same year went to the West, and spent a short period 
in Lane Seminary, and soon began to preach at Vevay, Switzer- 
land county, Indiana ; where he remained until 1857 ; since 
which time he has been at West Creek, Lake County. On en- 
tering the ministry Mr. Wason was embarrassed by feeble health, 
and yet has been unable to preach but one Sabbath for nearly 
twenty years. While at Vevay he taught a select school from 
four to nine months yearly, during seven of the years of his 
stay there. In October, 1844, he married Betsey R., daughter 
of Timothy Abbot, Esq., of Wilton, N. H., and has one son and 
two daughters. Mr. Wason is a highly successful and faithful 
minister ; retaining the spirit and principles in which his earlier 
days were nurtured, and is remembered with interest by the 
church and community among whom repose the ashes of his 
beloved father and mother. 




S.Zjto- 'rtr-d'-s.ftti. 



P£^« 



THE PAST AM) PBESENT-THE CONTRAST. 



Mr. President, — 

The hundredth anniversary of the first settlement of New 
Boston furnishes an occasion for mingling our sympathies, and 
for indulging in pleasant and grateful recollections. The early 
history of our native town is full of interest to all her sons and 
daughters. Here our fathers endured hardships and privations, 
and their descendants are now enjoying the fruits of their 
labors. We now stand upon the horizon that divides two cen- 
turies. In looking over the past Ave find the changes have been 
great ; the physical changes are the most obvious. On every 
side cultivated farms and buildings, for the comfort of man and 
beast, now greet the eye. The first settlers saw nothing but 
one dense forest, with no trace of the white man save here and 
there the marks of the surveyor's axe. The first thing to be 
done was the construction of a rude cabin on some sunny hill- 
side, or sheltered valley ; — not always the most comfortable 
for winter or convenient in summer. The modern housekeeper 
would have her ingenuity taxed to apply the same room to the 
purposes of parlor, sitting-room, dining-room, kitchen, bedroom, 
chamber, and cellar. The furniture of such a dwelling must 
correspond both in quantity and quality, and yet, in that cabin, 
the stranger and the visitor were always made welcome. Be- 
sides the purposes of living, the early dwellings were factories 
also, for in most of them was found a place for the card, spin- 
ning-wheel, and loom. They manufactured most of their table- 
linen, bedding, and wearing apparel, — not only the clothing 
for every-day wear, but the clean attire for Sundays and festive 
occasions. 

In contrast with the cabin of the pioneer, there now stands 
the neatly-painted cottage or mansion, arranged for comfort 
and convenience, and furnished with all the improvements and 



320 



luxuries of steam and telegraph days. For many of the every- 
day conveniences which we enjoy, our ancestors had no word in 
their vocabulary. 

Substantially built and well-filled barns, furnishing food and 
comfort for large stocks, stand in striking contrast with the 
rude hovel, built of poles, and covered with hemlock or pine 
boughs, to furnish protection to the only cow, the main depend- 
ence for family food. If the family were able 'to own, and 
had the means of keeping them, a yoke of oxen were added to 
the stock ; these performed the double labor of service on the 
little farm and journeys upon the road. They had but little 
use for the horse, and none for the carriage. Their visiting, 
marketing, and journeys were performed with an ox-team. 
Even after horses were in common use, carriages, except the 
one-horse square-top chaise, were almost unknown. All rode 
on horseback, and the horses always carried double ; often a 
child in the mother's lap, and ■ another on the pommel of the 
saddle before the father. 

They had not the semblance of roads, but followed paths or 
trails over the most convenient ground, guided by marked trees. 
Frequently there were not even pole bridges over the streams, 
and when they were swollen, and there was no ferry, they must 
wait till the waters subsided so that they could ford the stream. 
This often caused a delay of many days on short journeys, and 
there was no help for it. Store-bills then were not large. A 
yearly journey to Londonderry, Newburyport, or Salem, to sell 
the overplus of farm products, and to purchase necessaries for 
the year to come, sufficed for shopping. 

Mills were then scarce, and often far distant ; and when it 
was impossible or difficult getting to them, the corn, rye, and 
barley were prepared in various ways at home for family food. 
Their fare was simple, wholesome, and nutritious. The " Indian 
Johnny-cake " baked on wooden trenchers by the fire, the bean, 
or corn-porridge, and barley-broth (eaten in the wooden bowl 
or pewter basin or porringer, with a pewter spoon) never gave 
our grandparents the dyspepsia. We dare not say that the first 
settlers were not happier, and oven more useful in laying the 
foundations for generations yet to come, than we, their descend- 
ants, who inherited the fruits of their labors. They were then 
honest men, and sincere worshippers of God. 



321 



They were in the habit of attending meeting in heat and 
cold, in storm and sunshine, roads or no roads. There was no 
danger of breathing confined air in any of their places of wor- 
ship, on a windy day, nor were any made sick or faint, after a 
cold ride, by going into a church well warmed by stove or fur- 
nace, and no one became drowsy or listless from sitting on well- 
cushioned or inclined-backed seats. 

The only compensation in those days, for our present com- 
fortable places of worship, was the family foot-stove, which was 
considered the property of the mother. The little ones who 
sat nearest to her would have the advantage of putting their 
toes and fingers near it, while the larger ones, as they sat on 
all sides of the old square pews, would extend their feet toward 
the radiating heat, or rap their boots together, waiting im- 
patiently to have the minister say, " Finally." The older men 
would bear cold patiently, showing what they could endure for 
religion's sake, while the young men bore it bravely, lest their 
reputation for hardihood might suffer in the eyes of the gentler 
sex. The minister, boxed up in the old-fashioned pulpit elevat- 
ed far above the congregation, as if it were colder in that airy 
height, often preached having on a surtout buttoned up close, 
and a heavy cloak over the shoulders, with thick gloves or mit- 
tens on the hands ; not very conveniently dressed for oratorical 
effect. Between the two services the boys and those w"ho could 
not well endure the cold, would scatter to the post-office and 
tavern, where it was known that good fires were kept, and 
while the men would stand round the bar to get that which 
was then believed to be invaluable to keep out the cold of 
winter and the heat of summer, the boys would monopolize the 
heat of the large fireplace filled with wood. The more gallant 
and self-denying portion of the men would take the family 
foot-stove, and replenish it with good live coals for the afternoon 
service and homeward ride. Those times have long since 
passed away, and now most places of worship arc as comfortable 
as a private sitting-room, summer or winter. 

The first two generations passed away before the sound of 
any bell floated down the valleys and over the hills, to call the 
people together for worship, to tell the most suitable hour for 



■ • O i ) 



breakfast or dinner during the week, and what would be the 
proper time for steady folks to retire to rest. 

The bell is even made to speak a language when it rings and 
tolls out of season. It announces the fact to all the inhabitants 
of the town, that a man, woman, or child has passed away ; 
and then the solemn toll, beating the slow, measured step to the 
grave, reminds the living of their destiny. 

Great changes have taken place within the memory of many 
now living, in regard to some of the customs, — changes which 
are real improvements in civilized life. The time has been 
when no wedding would take place without the free use of 
wine, and generally that which was much stronger. It is said 
that a barrel of rum was often provided for the occasion, and 
then a drunken frolic would last for several days. Now, it is 
rare that even wine is provided publicly for the occasion. 

The change is equally great in regard to the general use of 
intoxicating drinks. If there are as many drunkards now as 
formerly, and as much liquor consumed (as is claimed by some), 
the number that use it is certainly less. It is within the mem- 
mory of many of us, that not a single farmer in town thought 
of harvesting his hay or grain without rum ; when not a single 
building was raised, or any special gathering made, without 
rum ; and when it was not known that any man or boy refused 
to drink from principle. Good men drank, believing that it 
was right and beneficial. It was offered to the minister when 
making his parochial calls, and not generally refused ; to the 
family physician when he came to see the sick, and to friends 
wheli they came to make an afternoon or evening visit. All 
merchants kept it on one end of the counter to sell by the glass 
or to give their customers. Even at the solemn rites of the 
burial-service it was not forgotten or omitted. After the 
religious services at the house, and before going to the grave, 
the glass was first passed to the minister, then to the near 
friends and more distant relatives. Those who were to act as 
bearers were next served, and then it was freely offered to all 
the neighbors and citizens who had gathered for the occasion. 
Those living at the close of the century can well judge of the 
change that has taken place. 

In education there has been an advance. At first, the schools 



323 



were limited from necessity, — limited in number, length, and 
excellence. They had nut the means to hire teachers of suit- 
able education, nor were such persons easily obtained. The 
log school-house or a small room in some private house, early 
gave place to the red frame school-houses, and the red ones are 
rapidly yielding to the neatly-painted white ones. There is 
ample room for the next century to improve on the past. The 
school-house should have a pleasant and healthy location, with 
ample grounds for recreation, well-fenced and ornamented with 
trees. The interior should be arranged for health and conven- 
ience. In other words, let the house where the child receives 
the first elements of an education be an attractive place, and it 
will exert a lasting influence on both mind and heart. One of 
the main impulses to education, and that which has done more 
than any other one thing to elevate the standard of education, 
was the inaugurating, in New Boston, a select school in the au- 
tumn of 1832. This brought together the best scholars from 
the various school districts in town. It was, in reality, a sort 
of graded school system, for the school was made up almost en- 
tirely of town scholars. This school was kept up for many 
years. It was the means of fitting numbers for teaching, and 
for years New Boston furnished more school-teachers than any 
of the neighboring towns. It also stimulated others to acquire 
a liberal education ; for previous to this, only a few had grad- 
uated. Other changes might be mentioned, did time and space 
allow. In early times, when families were few and land abun- 
dant, the children settled mostly in the vicinity, and pursued 
the avocation of their fathers ; but in these days of steam com- 
munication, and the multiplying of trades, the children em- 
igrate. Now they are found engaged in almost every branch of 
business and every profession, and scattered over a Avide extent 
of territory. 

But there have been painful changes, that I have not men- 
tioned. Every house has its story of joy and sorrow. Death 
has been here ; and nowhere can the history of change and sor- 
row be so plainly read as in the graveyard. There sleep the 
fathers, — forever sacred be their graves ! There, too, lie our 
kindred and neighbors and friends. Through these changes 
we, too, must pass. The blessings we inherit we only hold in 



324 



trust, to transmit, after we have improved them, to our descend- 
ants. It is the duty of the present generation to honor the 
memory of the past, emulate their virtues, and cherish all that 
is really good, so that the coming century may stand in happy 
contrast with the present in all that is pure and ennobling. 



SABBATH SCHOOLS. 



" At a meeting of a number of heads of families, and others, 
patrons of the Sabbath school in New Boston, holclen at Mrs. 
Moses Whitney's hall, in said town, on Friday, the first day of 
October, 1819, 

" Motion being made to choose a chairman, the Rev. E. P. 
Bradford was chosen, and took the chair accordingly. 

" Motion was then made to choose a clerk, and Joseph Coch- 
ran, Jr., was chosen to officiate in that office. 

" Proceeded to open a contribution for the purpose of pur- 
chasing books for premiums, to reward the youth and children 
composing the Sabbath school, for their industry in committing 
and reciting portions of the sacred Scriptures." 

From the foregoing, taken from a document which came into 
our hands, it appears that a Sabbath school was organized in 
the Presbyterian congregation as early as 1819. Its organiza- 
tion was very simple : classes were formed, and teachers ap- 
pointed, and the work to be done was to commit and recite pas- 
sages of Scripture. It was a school for children only ; yet, it 
would sec in, from the large and enthusiastic meeting referred 
to above, and from the character of the men that composed it, 
and the amount subscribed, that there was no want of interest 
in the enterprise on the part of parents. The enthusiasm of 
the pupils was great, as appears from the number of verses of 
Scripture committed and recited. The whole number of classes 
was eight, four male and four female. The whole number of 
teachers, eight ; assistant teachers, eight ; and the whole num- 
ber of pupils was 43 males, and 75 females. The boys recited 
9,786 verses, and the girls 29,994. 

Class No. 1 consisted of 10 boys, from 14 to 16 years of age : — 
Jeremiah Cochran, Rodney Cochran, John Kelso, Jr., Hiram 
Lynch, John Fairfield, Jr., Hiram Mcintosh, Lincoln H. Flint, 



326 



Jesse Colby, Joseph B. Cochran, and John Howe. Their 
teacher was Moses Whitney, and the highest number of verses 
recited was 559, by Jeremiah Cochran. The whole number of 
verses recited by the class was 1,596. 

Class No. 2 consisted of 10 boys, from 11 to 18 : — Peter 
Crombie, James B. Gregg, Jonathan Cochran, Sumner Cristy, 
Alfred Cochran, Nathaniel Patterson, Silas Cochran, Daniel 
Lynch, Haskell McCollom. Their teacher was William Jones ; 
and the highest number of verses recited was 1,116, by James 
B. Gregg ; the next highest, was by Jonathan Cochran, 628. 
The whole number of verses recited by the class was 3,866. 

Class No. 3 consisted of 9 boys, from 9 to 12 : — Samuel C. 
Whiting, Elbridge Wason, Isaac Giddings, Jr., Absalom Dodge, 
Sylvester Dodge, Gilman McCurdy, William W. Peabody, Ly- 
man Marcleu. Their teacher was JJeacon R. Wason ; and the 
highest number of verses recited was 511, by Calvin Whiting ; 
the next highest, 505, by Samuel C. Cochran. The whole num- 
ber of verses recited by the class was 1,492. 

Class No. 5 consisted of 14 boys, from 5 to 8 : — John B. 
Wallace, William Wallace, John Crombie, John C. Henry, 
William Bradford, George W. Clark, Jacob Dodge, Ephraim 
Cristy, William P. Cochran, William C. Campbell, James Mar- 
den, Thomas H. Cochran, Albert Dodge, R. C. Cochran. Their 
teacher was Robert B. Cochran ; and the highest number of 
verses recited was by William Bradford, 456 ; the next highest, 
264, by Thomas H. Cochran. The whole number recited by 
the class was 2,832. 

Class No. 5 consisted of 18 girls, from 13 to 16 : — Marinda 
Cochran, Susannah Leach, Syrena McMillen, Louisa Beard, 
Nancy McCurdy, Margaret R. Cochran, Letitia Cristy, Eliza 
Beard, Jane Livingston, Anna Marden, Eliza Dickey, Harriet 
Crombie, Hannah Peabody, Eleanor Giddings, Louisa Butler, 
Hepsibah Flint, Jane Gregg, Jane Wilson. Their teacher was 
Mary B. Cochran, assisted by Miss Burns ; and the highest 
number of verses recited was 1,206, by Letitia Cristy ; the next 
highest was 873, by Hannah Peabody. The Avhole number 
recited by the class was 9,112. 

Class No. 6 consisted of 17 girls, from 11 to 12 : — Adeline 



327 

McMillen, Caroline McMillen, Charlotte Fairfield, Lucretia Liv- 
ingston, Cordelia Clark, Asenath Dodge, Sally Smith, Mehi table 
Griddings, Relief Dodge, Sophronia Cochran, Rebecca Clark, 
Frances Smith. Margaret Ann Cochran, Lavinia Wilson, Sa- 
brina Wilson, Abigail H. Flint, Rebecca Pinkerton. Their 
teacher was Miss Sally Lamson, assisted by Betsey Wilson and 
Lydia Cochran. The highest number of verses recited was 
1035, by Sophronia Cochran ; the next highest was 896, by 
Lucretia Livingston. The whole number of verses recited by 
the class was 8,953. 

Class No. 7 consisted of 16 girls, from 5 to 10 : — Mary Cristy, 
Eloisa Dodge, Augusta Kelso, Nancy Eliot, Anna Hooper, Han- 
nah Hooper, Rachel Smith, Annis Cochran, Ann Clark, Fran- 
ces Moor, Elizabeth Peabody, Mercy Cochran, Jane Wilson, 
Mary E.Cochran, Clarissa W. Collom, Mary Emily Cochran. 
Their teacher was Miss Frances Cochran, assisted by Sally 
Gregg and Harriet Cochran. The highest number of verses 
recited was 864, by Annis Cochran ; and the next, 801, by Au- 
gusta Kelso. The whole number recited by the class was 7,198. 

Class Xo. 8 consisted of 24 girls, from 4 to 8 : — Nancy Rich- 
ards, Sarah Hooper, Anstis Bradford, Nancy Cristy, Emily 
Whiting, Lucy Adams, Lydia Adams, Ellis Hooper, Phebc Pat- 
terson, Mary Jane Wilson, Rnhamah Cochran, Elizabeth Ann 
Peabody, Abigail Fairfield, Mehitable G. Marden, Clarissa W. 
Mcintosh, Almena Dane, Dolly George, Clarinda Smith, Betsey 
Dane, Margaret Cochran, Elizabeth Dodge, Mary Patterson, 
Mary Whiting. Their teacher was Roxanna Whiting, assisted 
by Jane Cochran and Lydia Cochran. The highest number of 
verses recited was 511, by Sarah Hooper ; and the next highest 
was 449, by Anstis Bradford. The whole number recited by 
the class was 4,731. 

The whole number of verses recited by the school was 39,780. 

This school continued seventeeen weeks ; and the premiums 
wore trifles, — cheap books or tracts, no one exceeding in value 
twenty-two cents, few exceeding ten cents. These were given 
as rewards not anticipated, for the meeting referred to was 
held near the close of the school, and Rev. Ephraim P. Brad- 
ford was authorized to obtain the books, and deliver them to 



328 

the teachers, to be given to the pupils. And, true to their 
generous character, before the meeting closed they voted, 
unanimously, " That the thanks of this meeting be presented 
to the instructors and instructresses for the ability, fidelity, 
and impartiality they have manifested in the discharge of their 
duties, in instructing the youth and children composing the 
Sabbath school in this town, the present season." 

This mode of sustaining the Sabbath school continued for 
some years, with slight modifications. At length, catechisms 
and question-books were gradually introduced, and for years 
past the school has extended through the entire year, receiving 
a large infusion of the adult portion of the congregation. 
Though the congregation has diminished, the Sabbath school 
has increased in numbers ; to-day, June 20, it numbers 207 pu- 
pils, with 22 teachers, and as many classes, while an increased 
interest is felt to have more of the Bible committed to memory 
than during the few past years. 

Knowing the men and women who have been trained in this 
Sabbath school, who yet remain on the old homesteads or have 
gone to other localities, it is not easy to close our eyes to the 
fact that this institution has proved an incalculable benefit to 
at least two generations, and promises benefits equally great to 
yet other generations. The smiling faces and sparkling eyes 
affirm the pleasure which children feel in attending. It is here 
that the intellect is quickened, as well as the heart improved. 
It is here that self-respect is inspired, and noble resolutions are 
made, which give direction to conduct and form the character 
for subsequent life. It is here that jewels of the church as 
well as of the household are burnished, and from those here 
disciplined will come forth the brightest ornaments of the 
church and the greatest blessings of the State. 

Although the introduction of the Sabbath school into the 
Baptist congregation transpired at a later date than into the 
Presbyterian, still it has been no less a blessing to that portion 
of the community. 

During the past two years, through the efforts of the pastor 
of the Presbyterian Church, three schools have been organized 
and sustained by the citizens in as many different parts of" the 



329 



town remote IVom the meeting-houses. Much interest has ex- 
isted in these, and no little good has been done. That in the 
west part of the town, under the superintendence of Dea. 
Marshall Adams, has had nearly a hundred scholars, including 
children and adults. The interest in this school has been 
greatly heightened, and its benefits • multiplied, by a good 
library of one hundred volumes the first year, and the addi- 
tion of seventy-five the second; — the generous gift of Mr. 
Marshall C. Adams, of Jaffrcy, the worthy son of the superin- 
tendent, who has not forgotten the home of his childhood, nor 
lost his interest in an institution that blessed his youth. This 
thoughtfulnoss of Mr. Adams deserves special commendation, 
as being the first and only gift, of any note, received from her 
many and prospered absent children, by the town. It strikes 
us as a little remarkable that, of the two generations of men 
whom New Boston has sent forth, most of them nurtured in 
her churches and trained in her Sabbath schools, not one of 
them — good men and highly prospered abroad — has ever 
made a thank-offering to the Sabbath school in which lie was 
taught, the church in which he was nurtured, or the town in 
which he was reared, except Mr. Marshall Adams, the first- 
born of a family of thirteen children, all of whom are now 
living, and having hope towards God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Has it been the result of thoughtlessness, or have 
other places made imperious demands upon all their charities? 
Or have they ceased to feel a lively interest in the place of 
their young life's activities and advantages V Or do they still 
think of the town with its population of 1820, and the large 
crowded assembly on the hill of mighty men and noble wo- 
men, with ample means of obtaining all they need, forgetting 
that the population of the town has been sadly changed and 
reduced by the exodus of her sons and daughters, — that the 
churches where they worshipped arc no longer thronged as in 
days of yore ? Are they ignorant that, while the virtuous and 
God-fearing are diminished by their going forth, the ungodly, 
who glory in their shame, reject all religious instruction, and, 
gyrating in the slime of moral corruption, are not diminished ? 
No debt is more obvious than that which absent children owe 

42 



330 

to the place of their birth ; to remember it affectionately, and 
sympathize with its struggles to hold fast the things that 
remain. And every absent son is honored or dishonored as 
the reputation of the old homestead is sustained or lowered. 
Nor should it be forgotten that any efforts to uphold or en- 
hance the honor of the place of one's nativity reflects most 
glory on him who makes the endeavor. 



HON. GEERY WHITING COCHEANE. 



Mr. Cochrane was born near Joe English, March 22, 1808, 
being the son of Mr. John Cochrane. His early youth was 
spent on the farm and in the district school, afterwards at 
Pinkerton Academy in Deny, and Bradford Academy, Massa- 
chusetts, and in teaching. In 1829 he entered the store of 
Jacob Howe, Esq., of Haverhill, Mass., and after a service of 
four or five years entered upon business *for himself in that 
place, subsequently removing to Boston, where he now resides 
and where he is prosecuting a large and lucrative business. 
For many years he has been director in several insurance 
companies, and in one of the largest banks in Boston. He 
was eight years a member of the State Committee ; was chosen 
Presidential elector in 1860 ; and in 1862 and 1863 was elected 
executive councillor for the Essex Second District. 

Mr. Cochrane married Miss Mary Jane, daughter of Rev. 
William Batchelder, and has three sons, — William B., Henry 
F.,and Frederick, — all of whom have been liberally educated. 

Mr. Cochrane's father was a native of Windham, and has 
been dead many years ; his venerated mother, an estimable 
Christian lady, is now living in Chester, aged ninety, enjoying 
remarkable vigor of body and mind, waiting cheerfully her 
appointed time. 

Mr. Cochrane has two brothers, — Hon. Robert Boyd, of this 
town, and Hon. Clark B., of Albany; and five sisters, — Mary 
B., who married Mr. Moses Hall, of Chester, whose children 
are Luther W., William Atwood, Mercy H., Abigail S., Nason, 
Clark B., Adeline, and Elizabeth; Mary J., who married Wil- 
liam Hazelton, of Chester, whose children are William, Har- 
riet T., Gerry W. (a lawyer in Columbus, Wisconsin), George 
C. (a lawyer in Wisconsin), John Franklin (a lawyer, now 



332 



Brigade Quartermaster in the Army of the Potomac), Sophia 
P., living in New Boston, Marinda living in Chester, an in- 
valid, and Abba S., who married Mr. Jonathan Pressey, and 
lives in Chester. 

Mr. Cochrane is a man of large charities, with a heart for 
every good enterprise ; alive to the interests of education, the 
country, and of religion. 




JOnffarisItth, 




RESPONSE OF HON. GERRY W. COCHRANE. 



The Religious Character of the early Settlers of New Boston. — " First 

pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, 
without partiality, and without hypocrisy." 

Mb. President, — 

There is no truth more apparent in the history of our race 
than this, that everywhere and always men are laboring for 
the future ; struggling forward to a good more or less remote, 
on which hangs some glittering prize, whose attainment is to 
fill the measure of their happiness. Whether this be one of 
man's mistakes or not, it is surely one of his most universal 
characteristics, that he is about to live. He has ever some un- 
fulfilled desire, some unaccomplished plan, some deficiency to 
be supplied in his means of enjoyment, before he can dismiss 
his corroding care, quiet the burning fever of desire, and relax 
his soul into the sweet and placid consciousness of happiness. 
We may infer, therefore, that the tendency to live for the 
future, to regulate our present course of life with a primary 
reference to our future well-being, however abused, is emi- 
nently consonant with the nature of man ; it harmonizes with 
those high powers of reason and reflection, which exalt him 
immeasurably above the brutes, and enable him, though phys- 
ically confined within a narrow sphere of activity, to live in 
spirit throughout the entire circle of creation and the entire 
duration of time. In so living, man displays the high endow- 
ments, the mighty capacities, of his nature. 

Society, government, institutions of learning and religion, 
are matters of formation and growth. They are the result of 
earnest thought, practical wisdom, and experience. God de- 
sires that man shall be happy ; but under the arrangements of a 
wise Providence he must labor for it. For the production of a 
result so devoutly to be wished, he must cooperate with the 



384 

laws of nature and of grace. Progress has been, is, and must 
be, the law of our race, until earth shall be redeemed from the 
thraldom of sin, and converted into another paradise. If one 
nation has lost the line of advancement, another has seized it, 
and so the world has gone forward. 

It must be remembered, however, that no nation is truly 
progressing where the Bible is not recognized as containing the 
great fundamental principles upon which all our hopes must 
rest, both for success in this world, and a glorious immortality 
beyond. Hence the importance given by our fathers to the 
influence of the Gospel, the pure teachings of God's blessed 
word ; hence the necessity that every people should magnify 
the truth, and seek earnestly to know him who is " The way, 
the truth, and the life." 

Perhaps no race of men ever recognized this more than did 
our Puritan fathers, who, turning their backs upon the graves of 
their ancestors, left home and country, coming to this western 
world for " freedom to worship God." As we look over the 
history of the past three centuries, and read of the intolerance 
of those times, we are filled with wonder and admiration in 
contemplation of those noble characteristics, displayed by the 
long succession of Christian heroes who went to prison and 
death to maintain their faith. Prom their retreats we hear 
the prayer and the psalm swelling and rising from the hearts of 
indomitable Covenanters, driven from their homes, and suffer- 
ing the loss of all things, for truth and conscience's sake. Well 
may we, the sons and daughters of the earlier settlers of this 
our native town, thank God and take courage, even in these 
dark and troublous times, that we have descended from an an- 
cestry whose inflexible purpose ever was to do right and 
oppose the wrong ; whose sincere, patriotic, Christian devotion 
to the principles of eternal truth, set forth in our declaration 
and bill of rights, is worthy of the profound gratitude of our 
hearts. 

Most of the early settlers of New Boston were of Scotch 
origin, hence their firm purpose and decision in all matters of 
conscience ; their iron will in surmounting every obstacle to the 
fulfilment of their purposes and plans, whether of a temporal 
or spiritual nature, never forgetting the Divine injunction, " In- 



385 



asmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
disciples, ye have done it unto me." While we have been 
searching for facts, and studying the religious character of those 
men and women who, one hundred years ago, exercised a con- 
trolling influence in this town, imparting a high moral tone to 
the sentiments of this community, our heart has been cheered 
with the fact so fully established of their fidelity to Christian 
principles. We see them laboring to establish and perpetuate 
in the mind and hearts of their descendants that reverence for 
God and his sanctuary ; that strict observance of the holy 
Sabbath, with all its hallowed associations and delightful duties 
which they themselves so fondly cherished. 

No words of ours can convey to the mind the true spirit of 
dependence upon Divine guidance, the firm personal adherence 
to truth, that vigorous faith in the power of the gospel which 
pervaded the hearts of our fathers, so well as those embraced 
in their call to the Rev. Solomon Moor, to become their pastor, 
in the year 1767. This paper was signed by forty-four men, 
whose names have been so intimately associated together, and 
closely indentified with the early history and prosperity of New 
Boston, that they will be heard with thrilling interest as they 
are now enunciated. The following are the exact words of that 
call, as found among our early records, bearing the signatures 
of some we have seen, with whitened locks and venerable forms. 
gathering around the communion table to celebrate the suffer- 
ings and death of a crucified Redeemer. Sentiments like these 
deserve to be engraved in letters of living light upon the door- 
post of every family in the town : — 

New Boston, August 25, 17(>7. 
We the inhabitants of the Town of New Boston as sensible of the repeated 
instances of the goodness of our Kind benefactor, particularly in smiling upon 
our new Settlement, so that, from a very small, in a few Years we are in- 
creased to a considerable number and the wilderness by God's Kind influences 
is, in many places amongst us become a fruitful field affording us a comfort- 
al ile maintainanee. We acknowledge that we are not proprietors of our estates 
in the sight of God, but stewards, and therefore they are to be improved for 
his honor, the spreading and establishment of his interest, and being destitute 
of a fixed Pastor, and having longing and earnest inclination to have one. 
established amongst us, that we may have the Gospel mysteries unfolded, Or- 
dinances administered amongst us. the appointed means of < rod's 1 louse below, 



336 



thai we and our seed may be disciplined, and trained up for his House of 
glory above, as a Kind providence of God has opened such a door by, Sir, 
your coming amongst us, we are cheerfully led to embrace the happy opor- 
tunity, being well assured Rev. Sir, by unexceptional credentials as to your 
ministerial abilities to Preach the Gospel ; and likewise as to your exemplary 
life which gives force to what is preached, as also the suitableness and agree* 
ableness of what you Preach to our capacities. We therefore, earnestly im- 
ploring direction from the being that alone can effectually direct us in such a 
weighty and soul concerning matter, we with hearts full, of well gratified 
affection, do in the most hearty manner, invite, call, and entreat you, the 
Rev. Solomon Moor to undertake the office of a pastor amongst us, and the 
charge of our souls forced upon your accepting this our call, as we hope the 
Lord will incline and move you so to do, we in a most solemn manner, prom- 
ise you all dutiful respect, encouragement, and obedience in the Lord's 
order. As the laborer is worthy of his hire, and he that serves at the altar, 
should live by it, and as we have nothing but what we have received, we are 
willing to improve part of our portion in this life, that we may be made par- 
takers of everlasting portion in the life to come, by the blessing .of God under 
your ministry, and for your encouragement and temporaiy reward, we prom- 
ise you yearly forty pounds sterling per annum for the first five years 
after your instalment, and after that the addition of five pounds sterling more 
per annum." * 

The deep religious feeling that controlled the action of these 
men is apparent in almost every sentence of the foregoing 
paper. We can have no surer test of the devoutly pious 
character of the early settlers of New Boston than is here 
given us. 

How significant the words, " We are not the proprietors of 
our estates in the sight of God, but stewards ; therefore they 
are to be improved for his honor " ! Here is a free and frank 
confession of entire dependence upon God, coupled with a 
strong desire to do his will, — a practical illustration of the 
parable of the talents, with the command given, " Occupy till 
I come," — a full recognition of the doctrine taught by Christ 
and his apostles. These were the men that desired, as they 
here express it, not only to have their own minds and hearts 
disciplined, and trained for heaven, but that their children and 
children's children should be educated for higher and nobler 
duties, and become heirs of immortal glory. Some of their 
descendants are here to-day, witnesses for God, saved as by fire, 

* See names on page 110. 



M>;7 



ill answer to their prayers, and their faithful instruction in the 
blessed Word of life. 

Who can estimate the undying nature and the priceless value 
of a religion founded upon the eternal principles of truth, set 
forth in this "call"! Three generations have passed away 
since that document was signed and put upon record. 

Changes, many and terrible, have come over us, and our dear 
native land ; but our fathers' God is our God to-day, and wher- 
ever men lean upon him, and not upon their own understand- 
ing, they become an element for good, which no earthly power 
can overthrow. No, never ! Such a community, covenanted 
in one bond of union to do his will, are sure to possess that 
practical wisdom and true conception of duty, which a devoted 
heart and a vigorous faith cannot fail to inspire. Their lives 
will everywhere and always be a never-failing attestation to the 
blessedness of the religion of Jesus Christ. Let us follow those 
men after they had settled the question of duty, in reference to 
devoting a part of what God had given them, to the support of 
the gospel ministry. Mark their language in stating their feel- 
ings and purposes to one whom they expected soon to become 
their religious instructor and spiritual guide : — " We, there- 
fore, earnestly imploring direction from the Being who alone 
can effectually direct us in such a weighty and soul-concerning 
matter." How comprehensive the prayer ! how full of mean- 
ing is every word ! — the very embodiment of all spiritual life, 
— the sure evidence of a true gospel hope, — a petition that 
could never come from any other than a humble Christian 
heart, uttering its sincere desire from a sense of its wants and 
obligations to Him whose mighty arm upholds the world. 
The fruits of this connection between minister and people 
prove to us, who know them, that this short prayer, so accord- 
ant with the teachings of the gospel, secured the Saviour's 
blessing. 

The charge of illiberality is often made against those men 
who first came into this vast wilderness to secure for them- 
selves and their children a permanent Christian home. They 
are often quoted as the very personification of sectarianism in its 
most hateful form ; enforcing a church and family government 
particularly severe ; tending to create and foster in the minds 






and hearts of their descendants a strong aversion to everything 
systematized and made permanent in the pastoral relation and 
in the administration of the gospel ordinances, so beautifully 
referred to and set forth in the " call." 

We take peculiar pleasure, in the privilege afforded us at this 
time, to give our testimony on this point, and to repel these 
charges, which we sincerely believe to be false. If a sect or 
community of persons, for being tenacious of their opinions of 
right and wrong, — for being strict in their observance of the 
Christian Sabbath, and for enforcing wholesome rules in the 
church and family, — are to be stigmatized as bigots, then we will 
admit that they were guilty of the charge, and pray that God 
will make every son and daughter of Adam " not almost," but 
altogether, such as they were. For if any people ever suffered 
for want of just such men to stand by the minister, and give 
character and efficiency to the church of Christ, we who live in 
the middle of the nineteenth century are that people. 

Look over any region, and you find it dotted with men (or 
rather the physical forms of men) marked and ticketed as not 
belonging to themselves, but to others from whom they derive 
their opinions, both in politics and religion. Such persons arc 
never to be trusted. They have no decision, nor firmness of 
purpose in standing by the right and opposing the wrong ; no 
seizing an object with a grasp of mind not easily relaxed. A 
proper decision, such as our fathers possessed, is not a preju- 
diced wilfulness, that dares act without investigation ; but, 
when convinced of the right, they stood immovable as the 
mountain base. The grand characteristics of the early settlers 
of this town were integrity and moral courage, which gave them 
executive force, and raised them above all defeat, and gave 
them an overwhelming advantage over the faint-hearted and 
fickle. In a world like ours, such characteristics are indispen- 
sable to success in right. The unstable man is as the waves of 
the sea, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Without 
fixedness of purpose, a firm and consistent course of reasoning, 
he will be likely to sacrifice his conscience at the shrine of a short- 
sighted and time-serving policy. By this class of men every- 
thing is resolved into natural law and human agency. The 
power of God is not recognized, and he is virtually shut out of 



389 



his own creation. But to our Christian fathers, the element of 
influence and power was their constant recognition of Almighty 
God, to them a sure pledge of succei . 

Let us look, for a moment, at the every-day lives of those men 
who cleared these forests, erected many of the dwellings that 
now stand as landmarks, to remind us of the simplicity and 
rigid economy of those fathers and mothers, who constituted 
the first Christian church in New Boston, and solemnly cov- 
enanted with eaeh other, before God, to sustain a gospel minis- 
try ; who toiled incessantly, six days in the week, and walked 
from one to four miles on the Sabbath, taking their children 
with them, to attend on the public worship of the sanctuary, 
sitting during a two hours' service, without fire on a cold win- 
ter's day. 

Does this not prove their firm and devoted love for the teach- 
ings of God's Word, and the ordinances of his house ? We 
have a strong and full affirmative answer, not only in their 
lives, but in their own language, as we quote their exact words 
on this point : — That we might have the gospel mysteries un- 
folded, — the appointed means of God's house below, that we 
and our seed may belMsciplined and trained up for his house 
of glory above." The excellency, dignity, and power of such 
language are seldom equalled. These were the men who insti- 
tuted and sustained a systematic family government, a Christian 
family discipline, teaching their children to reverence God, 
and hallow his sanctuary, and to keep his statutes, calling them 
morning and evening, day by clay, around the family altar, 
from which ascended the humble petition and the heart-felt 
thanksgiving. Well do we remember more than one such altar 
where, when a small boy, we bowed with our little associates, 
and listened to the earnest words of some of those holy men, 
whose memory still lingers with many present to-day. We can 
never forget such men as Dea. Thomas Cochran, Deacon Wil- 
liam McNeil, Dea. Robert Patterson, and many others, who 
long since were gathered into the Redeemer's fold on high. 
Here, too, were the Christiem mothers. Oh, how the heart 
swells with tenderest emotion as we write the word, mother ! 
Who can estimate the value of a Christian mother ! See her 
by the bedside of her little ones, teaching them, as soon as they 



340 



can lisp the name of Jesus, to say, " Our Father who art in 
heaven," and tell me, if you can, the value of such instruction, 
the influence of such love. 

What minister of the gospel, living in the middle of the nine- 
teenth century, would not thank God for such a church to 
" stand up for Jesus," ever ready to counsel with and sustain 
the pastor in his arduous work of love ? The respect, encour- 
agement, and obedience of these parents and their children, 
which they promise " in the Lord's order," proves their faith 
and sincerity in what they considered the instrumentalities to 
be used for the conversion of their fellow-men, and the wisdom 
of the choice so unanimously made. God signally blessed them 
by imparting the influences of his Holy Spirit to the word 
spoken, in the purifying of many souls, and by continuing that 
connection, so prayerfully considered during the space of nearly 
forty years, in which there was a great ingathering of those 
made wise unto salvation. The church was greatly strength- 
ened, and made a power for good to influence many generations. 
In the process of time, after a long and successful ministry, 
God called this faithful servant from his labor on earth to his 
rest in heaven. The people bowed with sa'ddened hearts as they 
laid him in the tomb, sorrowing most of all that his work on 
earth had ceased, and they " should see his face no more." 
These praying disciples, whose hearts burned within them as 
they talked of Him whose voice was now silent in death, and 
called to mind the kind words of comfort and consolation they 
had received, were now found just where we may always ex- 
pect to find the unwavering child of God, clinging closer to the 
cross as sorrow and affliction darkened their pathway, earnestly 
seeking that divine and heavenly light which every true Chris- 
tian finds when he comes to the throne of grace, and there asks 
wisdom of Him who said to his own chosen disciples, " Let 
not your hearts be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in 
me." 

These pious fathers and mothers, pillars in the church, 
did not shrink from duty, nor falter in their efforts to secure 
another under-shepherd at the earliest convenient time. After 
repeated trials, God heard their prayers, and sent them a young- 
man, possessed of high intellectual endowments, firm in pur- 



841 



pose, with a deep conviction of the great responsibility he was 
about to assume in entering upon the work of preaching the 
glorious gospel of the blessed God. His labor for the instruc- 
tion of the young, and counsel to those in the vigor of life, his 
kind words of comfort for the distressed, his efforts in elevating 
the standard of piety among this people for nearly half a cen- 
tury, will be felt in their influence long after those who now 
hear mo shall have passed away. Eternity alone will reveal the 
nature and extent of the work he accomplished for the Master, 
as he traversed these hills and valleys, carrying joy to every 
young, buoyant heart, and consolation to the sick and bereaved 
in sorrow's dark hour. The hallowed associations and delight- 
ful memories of the Rev. Ephraim P. Bradford are yet fresh 
with many here to-day, whose hearts have been made to rejoice 
in a risen Saviour through his instrumentality. Ay, they can 
never forget him until they shall fail to appreciate the impor- 
tance of a faithful and earnest presentation of divine and saving 
truth. 

This beloved pastor and all his early faithful associates and 
colaborers in the church of Christ have gone to their reward in 
heaven ; but their Christian fidelity and the moral influence of 
their lives cannot fail, under God, to promote the welfare of his 
kingdom in years to come. " Here the flowers fade, the heart 
withers, man grows old and dies : the world lies down in the 
sepulchre of ages ; but time writes no wrinkles on eternity. In 
the dwelling of the Almighty can come no footsteps of decay." 

The old meeting-house that stood on the green hillside, with 
its square pews, and ever-to-be-remembered sounding-board, 
where our fathers worshipped for more than half a century, has 
been vacated forty years, but there are some present who re- 
member the religious privileges of that house with sacred joy. 

Never can we forget some of the solemn seasons that occur- 
red within those hallowed walls, as we witnessed them in our 
youthful days. Semi-annually were spread the long tables 
around which were first gathered the aged servants of God, to 
partake of the holy communion ; following these were the 
active, vigorous members of the church, and then came the 
youngest of the flock, all in their turn, to hear words of wisdom 
from this faithful minister of the Lord. The sweet harmony of 



342 



those voices in the choir, as they sung of a crucified and risen 
Redeemer, the earnest exhortation, the devout prayer, are all 
written on the tablet of our memory, never, never to be effaced. 

As we write these words we seem to see that devoted pastor 
we early learned to reverence and love, with dignified and 
manly form, his countenance beaming with Christian kindness, 
rising to address the throne of grace. Oh ! how those melting- 
tones, uttered in words of humble, devout prayer, lift the soul 
upward and onward toward the divine life ! Oh ! how they 
impart to all who seek that higher life, holier aspirations, and a 
firmer reliance on the promises of the gospel, an earnest desire 
for a closer walk with God, and a fuller purpose to do his 
will. 

There is something truly delightful to the Christian'heart in 
such holy worship, such solemn, quiet communings with the 
Great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. These commemora- 
tions serve to raise our thoughts from earth toward heaven, 
pointing the soul to that day when all the saints in glory shall 
be gathered around the great white throne, with their voices in 
harmony with that angelic choir whose heavenly music shall 
swell in rapturous strains when the last sound of the organ and 
the lute shall have ceased forever. Thus may all the sons and 
daughters of the early settlers of New Boston, down to the 
latest generation, be prepared to sing the song of Moses and 
the Lamb, that when, one by one, they cross the river of death, 
exulting angels may welcome them to the celestial city. 



RESPONSE OE EEV. J. A. GOODHUE.* 



The Resident Sons of New Boston. — " Theirs is a good inheritance. ' As his part 

is that gocth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff.' " 

Mr. President, — 

The world in which wc live is a wide, wide world, and man 
at best is a pilgrim and a stranger in it. The idea of his hav- 
ing anything that can be called a residence here is very imper- 
fectly realized under any circumstances. The rapid march of 
mankind from the cradle to the grave, the changes which even 
a few short years produce upon the face of human society, are a 
sad and impressive commentary upon the fact that we have 
here no abiding place, no continuing city. The appearance of 
mankind upon the face of this earthly ball is like that of the 
ants upon a molehill which to-day are lively and busy, but to- 
morrow are gone forever. The idea of having a habitation and 
a home here on earth can be realized under the most favoring 
circumstances only just enough to make us appreciate the pre- 
ciousness of the conditional promise of a real home in heaven, 
and an everlasting mansion there. 

That the possession of a place on earth, which you can call 
your home, is an invaluable blessing, and one of the choicest 
and dearest in this world, no one will deny. The enjoyment of 
this blessing is greater, too, than we are wont to suppose. The 
great mass' of mankind do not, except by the privation of it, 

* In addition to the "Crucible," noticed in a sketch of him on page 161, 
Mr. Goodhue is author of an article entitled " The Preaching of Ecclesiastes," 
published in the Christian Revieio, July No. for 1854, page 434; also an 
article entitled, " Dying unto Sin with Christ," it being an exposition of Horn, 
vi. 2, 8, 10, 11, published in the Bibliotheca Sacra, E^nd American Biblical 
Repository for July, 1857, it being the 55th No. of the former, and the 107th 
of the latter, page 538. 



344 



know what it is. Aside from the comparatively sparse popula- 
tion of the rural portions of the country, aside from the yeo- 
manry of the land, the cultivators of the soil, the large propor- 
tion of the race follow an exceedingly unsettled, nomadic, 
planetary mode of life. The mechanics of the land, the arti- 
sans, the merchants, and those who follow the professions, are 
almost constantly subject to migration . and change. Very few 
of the inhabitants of our cities and large towns, into which the 
great tide of humanity is constantly pouring, realize to any 
extent what it is to have a home. The major part live merely 
by tenantry from year to year ; so that they are able to acquire 
no uninterrupted attachments to one locality over another. 
They are equally at home everywhere ; which is equivalent to 
saying that they have no home anywhere. Even those who are 
fortunate enough to be the owners of the dwellings in which 
they live, and the soil on which these dwellings stand, can have 
but a very imperfect enjoyment of the home feeling. Their 
estates are limited within the very narrowest compass by a 
crowded and crowding population all around them, while the 
rapid march of events, like an invading army, is continually 
jostling them from their places as they come in the way of its 
onward progress. 

The conditions which are necessary to constitute a real 
home, in the most perfect sense in which it can be realized in 
this world, are found among the inhabitants of the country, 
who are the grand producers of the land. One of these con- 
ditions is the perpetual and perpetuated ownership of the dwell- 
ings and lands which they occupy, and in connection with 
which their entire lives are spent and all their earthly labors 
are performed. The tillers of the soil are the most permanent 
and almost the only permanent and really settled class of people 
in the whole community. They are almost the only class who 
can contemplate, with any kind of certainty, the spending of 
their entire lives in the dwellings in which they were born, and 
who can look forward to a changeless occupation through life, 
and that upon the very same materials that have always con- 
stituted the means of their industry and the sources of their 
livelihood. Those who have chosen to remain by the stuff and 
perpetuate their family tree, in this goodly town, may have this 



345 



thought to console them, that though they may see less of the 
world than many others, and experience less of its adventures, 
they have elected for themselves a mode of life which is cal- 
culated to insure to them the invaluable blessing of an uninter- 
rupted earthly home, as no other mode of living can ; a blessing 
which they are not in a position to appreciate as we do who 
are not permitted to enjoy or anticipate it. 

One of the most difficult questions we, who have gone abroad, 
ever have to answer, is, Where is your home ? The only reply 
we can make to it is that New Boston is our native town. 
Aside from that we are as much at home in one place as an- 
other. There is no other spot on earth that is endeared by any 
sacred memories or by any ties that may not be sundered 
without much pain. And the question where we shall lay our 
bodies when we are dead, and the bodies of our loved ones, is as 
unsettled as it is painful to contemplate. With you who remain 
upon your native soil these questions require not a moment's 
thought. Here you were born on the same ground and under 
the same skies where your fathers before you have lived and 
toiled, and here you expect to live and labor and die, and 
yonder graveyard is to be your final resting-place. Rooted 
down thus deeply as you are, having grown up out of the soil 
made sacred by the industry of your ancestors, your very life 
is identified with the scenes in the midst of which it is your lot 
to perform all your earthly labors. How it must sweeten and 
lighten your otherwise laborious pursuits to stop a moment and 
call to mind the hallowed memories that cluster around you ; 
to remember that every foot of the ground on which you perform 
your daily toil has been trodden by the feet of your fathers, and 
that they have so oft reclined under the very same trees for 
shade and rest to which you are wont, in your wearied moments, 
to resort. 

What peace and quiet, also, it must impart to your life to 
think of the comparative security of your earthly posses- 
sions and the unfailing nature of the resources from which 
you derive your livelihood. Though such scope for ambition 
and enterprise is not open before you as lies in the path of 
others, yet neither are you beset by the harassing fears by 
which their minds are haunted day and night in view of the 

44 



346 

uncertain tenure by which they hold their worldly goods, and 
the liability that, in some unfortunate hour, their wealth and 
all the sources of it may be swept away, and they be left amid 
the strife and bustle of a selfish and avaricious world, penniless 
and helpless as the veriest beggar. The vibrations of the 
market, the rise and fall of stocks, which they watch with 
breathless anxiety, and on which their fortunes depend, affect 
you no more than a wave of the sea dashing against the dis- 
tant shore affects these everlasting hills on which you dwell. 
Until the sun shall cease to shine in the heavens and the rain 
to fall from the clouds ; until the wheels of Nature shall stop 
in their course, and day and night, seed-time and harvest, shall 
return no more, you will have no fears that your comfortable, 
though not luxurious, livings will fail to make to you their 
steady returns. 

The voyage of your life is across a smooth and quiet sea ; 
and though you have to toil in rowing, and do not penetrate so 
many seas, nor feel the winds of so many climes as others, yet 
you are sure of a peaceful voyage, and a safe arrival at your 
destined haven ; — while those who go out to try their fortunes 
upon the wide world, though animated by greater enterprises 
and higher hopes, yet they also find a rougher and more stormy 
voyage. The jarrings and commotions of human society are 
most keenly felt by them. They mount up and go down with 
every wave, and are often at. their wits' end, not knowing 
whether the favoring breezes of fortune shall land them high 
up on the shores of wealth and fame, or whether contrary 
winds shall lay them forever low in the valley of disappoint- 
ment, mortification, and penury. Go to the thickly-settled 
towns and cities, the great centres of human activity, and you 
observe at once the constant feverishness of the life that is 
there spent ; you witness the rapid pulse, the hurried tread, 
the excited, anxious eye, and flushed countenance, which make 
you feel as if men thought they were liable not to live out half 
their days before they arrive at their journey's end ; while 
the dwellers in this goodly town pursue their peaceful avoca- 
tions with as much quiet and leisure as if they had taken a 
lease of life for a thousand years. All but the most extraor- 
dinary waves of excitement spend their force and die away 



347 

before they reach them. Nothing, except it be some such 
calamity as the civil war which is now convulsing the entire 
nation, moves them, and that only in a modified degree. Yet 
the world will stand just as long, and its ends be just as fully 
accomplished for them as for those who spend their lives in 
anxious solicitude lest every day should be the last. 

There is no more independent class of people on the face of 
the earth than the resident sons of this goodly town. The 
sources of their earthly livelihood are as little connected as 
possible with the treachery and fickleness of public opinion. 
The favor of no earthly mortal are they obliged to court in 
order to secure the privilege of earning their daily bread by 
the sweat of their brow. Dependent for their sources of in- 
dustry and livelihood only upon their broad and fertile acres 
warmed by the genial sun and watered by the gentle showers 
of rain, and upon their faithful and obedient flocks and herds, 
it is their prerogative, as it is of no others, to say, — 

" I am monarch of all 1 survey, 

My right there is none to dispute ; 
From the centre all round to the sea, 
I am lord of the fowl and the brute." 

The least of any class in the world are those who remain 
upon their native soil obliged to be servants to their fellow- 
men, and to be under the disagreeable necessity, as are the 
great mass of men of every rank in the cities, of constantly 
compromising their personal feelings, if not their consciences, 
for the purpose of endeavoring to secure the good-will of 
others, both their inferiors and superiors, for whose persons 
they care nothing, but only for their patronage. By no such 
mortifying obsequiousness and servility does the farmer obtain 
his earthly living. He bows down to no one but to his Maker, 
and has none to thank for his prosperity but a favoring Provi- 
dence and his own industry. 

Those who remain upon their native soil are, also, most per- 
fectly contented with their situation and their lot of any class 
of people in the world ; while those who roam abroad and fol- 
low a life of adventure and experiment never find the situa- 
tion that precisely suits them. Having once sundered the ties 
that bind them to their native land, such ties are never formed 
again. 



348 



But independently of these natural ties, the resident sons 
of New Boston have as much reason to be contented with the 
lot which their nativity has afforded them as any other people. 
A more salubrious climate, a more beautiful landscape, a more 
productive soil, a more upright, moral, and peaceable commu- 
nity, is nowhere to be found. A more favorable portion of the 
earth on which to spend one's life, if one desires to live in peace, 
could not be assigned by a wise Providence to any mortal. 
The temptations and exposures which are attendant upon the 
path of the young, especially in our populous towns and cities, 
are here almost entirely unknown. It would scarcely seem 
possible that one reared in such a community as this should 
not lead a life of moral purity at least. The value of such an 
opportunity for rearing up the children, which a kind Provi- 
dence gives us, for spheres of worth and usefulness, can be ap- 
preciated only by those who are subjected to the trying expe- 
rience of educating their offspring in the midst of the mixed 
populations of the seaboard towns. 

Above all, and finally, a more fitting spot than this can- 
not be found on the face of the earth for religious culture ; for 
the implantation and cultivation in the heart of true piety to- 
wards God, and for securing a preparation to meet our common 
Maker ere long at the day of final accounts, and then to spend 
an eternity in the abodes of the blessed beyond the grave. 
I see not how the accumulative influences of the sacred asso- 
ciations and hallowed memories which come welling up from 
the past here to-day ; the recollections of the departed, of 
whom yonder graveyard so vividly reminds us ; the solemn 
associations that cluster around these holy shrines, where ven- 
erated ministers of religion were wont to lead their people in 
the worship of Almighty G-od, but who, with large portions of 
their flocks, have gone to their reward ; — I see not how these 
sacred associations and reminiscences, in the midst of which 
resident brothers are permitted to spend their lives, can fail, 
under the blessing of God's Spirit, to mature and ripen them 
ere long for the rest of the true people of God. That this may 
be their portion and ours when the next centennial shall come 
round, is our sincere and earnest prayer. 



BIOGKAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 



Thomas Smith. — He came from Chester to this town about 
1734, when it was an entire wilderness, and settled where the 
late Hiram Lull lived, in the east part of the town. He was 
for some two years the only white man within the present lim- 
its of New Boston, before the grant of the town was made. 
It was near his farm that the Proprietors built sixty dwell- 
ing-houses, a grist and saw mill, and a meeting-house, as early 
as 1740. Mr. Smith is said to have built the first frame house 
in New Boston, and it yet stands in a state of comparatively 
good preservation, and constitutes a part of Widow Hiram 
Lull's house. Mr. Smith Was once obliged to flee from his 
farm before he had moved his family to it, because of the pres- 
ence of Indians. They had done violence to some neighbors 
living a few miles from him in Goffstown, and seeing traces of 
one or more in the vicinity of his cabin, evidently seeking an 
opportunity to capture him, he precipitately fled with his faith- 
ful gun, and returned not until the Indians had departed from 
his neighborhood. His son Samuel, in 1765, lived where the 
late Deacon Thomas Smith died ; his son James perished with 
cold on the road leading from his father's to Parker's, in Goffs- 
town. His son Reuben was in the war of the Revolution, and 
after the close of it he removed into the State of Maine, near 
the Passamaquoddy Bay. 

Deacon John Smith. — He was son of the above-named 
Thomas, and moved with him from Chester. He married a 
Miss McNeil, daughter of William McNeil, by whom he had 
five children : Martha, Sarah, Janey, Mary, and John. After 
her death he married Ann Brown, of Francestown, by whom 
he had fourteen children : Janey, Thomas (the late deacon), 
Elizabeth, William, David, Susanna, Ann, Samuel, Martha, 
Reuben, Elizabeth B., Robert, an infant, and James D. Of the 



350 

children of his first wife, Martha died Feb. 19, 1756, and 
Janey Jan. 10, 1756, of dysentery, and were the first that 
were buried in the graveyard in the north part of the town. 

Sarah married a Mr. McMarston for her first husband, and 
for her second, John Burns, who owned the farm now owned 
by Mr. Luther Colburn. He was in the war of the Revolution, 
also of 1812, and had the title of Major. He moved to White- 
field when a young man, and died there a few years since, hav- 
ing represented his town in the Legislature after he was eighty 
years old, remarkable for his vigor of body and mind. 

Mary, another daughter of Deacon Smith, married Robert 
Burns, of Bedford ; they had a son who became a physician. 
John Smith entered the army in 1776, and served to the close 
of the war, then settled in Francestown, and died there, having 
married for his first wife Elizabeth Campbell, of Litchfield, by 
whom he had two sons, John and David ; one of his daughters 
is now the wife of Mr. Benjamin Dodge, of New Boston. 

This John Smith, son of Deacon John, was a lieutenant in 
the militia. A musket-ball was lodged in his neck, and was 
never extracted. He was one of the early deacons in the Con- 
gregational Church in Francestown. He was a very worthy 
man, and reared an interesting family ; his son John being 
distinguished for his piety and devotion to the instruction of the 
Indians at the West. Deacon Smith, Senior, died Sept. 3, 1800, 
in his 74th year. The inscription on his tombstone is very 
appropriate : — 

" The sweet remembrance of the just 
Will flourish though they sleep in dust." 

Deacon Thomas Smith. — He was son of Deacon John Smith, 
born May 7, 1765 ; he married, March 22, 1791, Esther Poland, 
who was born May 1, 1774. They had thirteen children; 
Susannah was born Jan. 27, 1792, became the wife of Mr. 
Thomas George, of Weare ; after his death married Mr. James 
Adams, of this town, and afterwards removed to Johnson, 
Vt., where she died Dec. 12, 1843, leaving three children, two 
by the first, and one by the second husband ; Ann, born March 
17, 1794, became the wife of Thomas Ring, and lives in New 
York, having five children : John, born May 14, 1796, married 
Dec. 1, 1819, Nancy, daughter of David Tewksbury, and had 



351 



thirteen children, eight of whom survive, viz., Ezra D., who 
married Mary Jennis, and lives in Concord ; John B., who 
married Rebecca W. Richards, and resides in California ; 
Amos T., who resides in California ; Ivers, Sarah T., Almas, 
Ethan A., who married Maria E. Burt, of Bennington, March 

19, 1863, and lives in New Boston, and Clara ; Thomas died 
March 2, 1852 ; Charles B. died Jan. 17, 1847, at the Deaf and 
Dumb Asylum, in Hartford, Conn ; David T. died in California 
March 8, 1862 ; Clarinda died August 17, 1837 ; James K. P. 
died Sept. 25, 1848. 

Esther (daughter of Deacon Thomas Smith), born August 

20, 1798, married Asa Dodge, of Francestown, having one 
daughter, who became the wife of Smith Follansbee, of Frances- 
town ; Thomas, born April 8, 1801, married Nancy Gove, of 
Weare, lives in New Boston, and has one son, Daniel. 

William, born May 22, 1803, lives in Croyden with his 
third wife, having three children by his first, and seven by his 
second wife ; Moses was born June 8, 1805, married Eliza Bai- 
ley, of Weare, and lives in Johnson, Vt., having seven chil- 
dren ; Rachel was born August 10, 1807, married Ambrose 
Story, and lives in Antrim ; Clarinda, born January 9, 1810, 
became the wife of John McCurdy, who soon died, leaving her 
no children ; Ivers was born March 31, 1812, married Sarah 
Hoyt, of Weare, and lives in New Boston, having two daugh- 
ters, one of whom, Lora, became the wife of Thomas Moore, 
of Bedford ; the other, Clarinda, married Elbridge Colby, of 
Weare ; George W. was born January 19, 1815, and died 
February 15, 1858 ; Ethan was born October 17, 1817, mar- 
ried Alvira Morrill, and lives in Weare, having six children ; 
Sarah, born October 23, 1819, died young. 

Deacon Thomas Smith died May 1, 1854, and his wife died 
October 8, 1851. He was a man of great decision and energy 
of character, industrious and thrifty ; he became one of our 
most independent farmers. He reared a large family, and con- 
tributed generously to benevolent enterprises, never overlook- 
ing the claims which God had upon his possessions. As a 
christian, he was uniform in his feelings, consistent in his daily 
walk, a strict observer of the Sabbath, and a constant attend- 
ant on the sanctuary. He was emphatically a pillar in the 



352 



Presbyterian Church, and his end was peace ; and his death 
was seriouly felt by the church and the community. 

William McNeil. — He lived about a mile southwest of the 
first named Smith, where a Mr. "Woodbury now lives. Mr. 
McNeil was a schoolmaster, teaching for many years in differ- 
ent parts of the town whence he came, and also in this town. 
His second wife presented him a daughter, who was the 
first female child born in New Boston. They called her Han- 
nah; and she married John Jordan, a British soldier, who 
deserted before the Eevolution. They lived where William 
Beard now resides. He enlisted in the war of the Eevolution, 
and was at Bunker Hill. After the war he moved his family 
into Vermont, and was buried near Burlington, having died in 
the camp during the war in 1812. 

Mr. McNeil had other daughters, one of whom became the 
wife of a Mr. Ferson, brother of Deacon James Ferson. He 
had also two sons, both of whom were in the war of the Rev- 
olution. 

John Blair. — He settled where Mr. William Woodbury now 
lives. He came direct from Ireland, marrying for his wife Miss 
Jennet McCloud. He had two sons and one daughter. His 
daughter married James Hunter, and their son John was the 
first male child born in New Boston, and became a soldier in 
the war of the Revolution. Mr. Blair's sons were Robert and 
William : Robert enlisted in the British army long before the 
war of 1776, and William lived with his father, marrying a Miss 
Rosinna Gregg Dec. 8, 1768, by whom he had a son named 
Hugh,'born Oct. 2, 1769, who lived with his father on the old 
homestead ; also a daughter, named Jeane, born Feb. 17, 1771. 

Dea. James Fekson. — He settled where Mr. John Dodge 
now lives, coming from Chester. He had three sons : the third, 
James, married the daughter of Mr. James McNeil, and moved 
to Ohio in his 74th year, where he has since died. Dea. Ferson 
had three daughters : Sarah, Hannah, and Rosamah. Sarah 
became the wife of Mr. John Eli, and moved to Londonderry, 
and Rosamah became the wife of the late Abner Hogg. Dea. 
Ferson's wife was Jennet Lesley, a very excellent woman ; her 
husband was a worthy, christian man ; was one of the earliest 
deacons in the Presbyterian Church, and died Nov. 1, 1792, 
aged 76 ; and his wife died Feb. 26, 1804, aged 86. 



353 



James Ferson, son of Dea. James Ferson, was born in 
Chester May 29, 1744, 0. S., and married Mary McNeill, 
daughter of James McNeill. She was born in New Boston 
Sept. 30, 1755, N. S. They were married Dec. 28, 1773. 
Their children were William, Jennet, James, Paul, Sally, Sam- 
uel, Daniel, and John. James was Town Clerk for some years, 
and became a physician. Some of the children went to Ohio, 
and their father, who was 74 years old, followed them, and died 
there, being esteemed a highly worthy man. 

His son, William, graduated at Dartmouth College in the 
Class of 1797, studied medicine and practised in Gloucester, 
Mass., where he died. He is remembered as a school-teacher ; 
he taught school in the house near Mr. Bently's, one winter ; 
he was cross-eyed, and was sure to detect the rogues. 

Hugh Gregg. — He settled near where Daniel T. Gregg lately 
lived, and married Sarah Lesley, sister of the wife of Dea. 
James Ferson. They had sons : James, .Alexander, Lesley, 
Reuben, and Samuel. James settled where his son, the late 
Daniel T. Gregg, lived until within a few years of his death, 
the farm now being owned by John H. Gregg. Reuben served 
in the war of the Revolution. 

Hannah, daughter of James, married Nathan Andrews, of 
Sutton, where she resides, aged 94, having had eight chil- 
dren : Sallie, who married a Mr. Woodsworth, and died in New 
York ; Nathan, who married Dorothy Pilsbury, and has five 
sons and one daughter ; John, who married Susan Adams, and 
has sons and daughters, graduated at Dartmouth College, and 
is now a chaplain in the army; Samuel G., who inherits the 
homestead, married Lavinia H. Pilsbury, and has two children ; 
Jennett, who married John Eaton, of Sutton, and has six sons 
and three daughters ; Hannah died young ; James, who 
was liberally educated, and died a young man ; Mary, who has 
been a school-teacher. Daniel T., his son, was born Dec. 11, 
1775, married Esther, born July 14, 1780, daughter of Thomas 
Milieu. This Thomas Millen was born in Londonderry 1756, 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, lived in Newbury, Vt., 
having married Jane McCollom, sister of Alexander McCollom, 
of New Bostom, and died in 1852. Daniel T. Gregg inherited 
the homestead, and had eight children ; Jane E. resides in 

45 



354 



New Boston : James died young ; John H. lives in New Bos- 
ton ; Maria L. became the wife of Thomas Delano, resides in 
Somerville, Mass., and has seven children ; Ann B. died in 
1844 ; Charlotte Augusta is a teacher in Chicago, 111. ; Esther 
died May 24, 1853. 

Joseph, son of James Gregg, was born in New Boston Dec. 
11, 1777, married Jennett Moor, of Goffstown, and lived where 
Daniel M. Gregg now resides. He rebuilt the mills at that 
place, and operated them until his death, doing an extensive 
business in lumbering. He had several children : Jennett mar- 
ried Bartlett Richards, and died leaving eight children ; James 
M. married Sarah Goodwin, of Londonderry, and died in New 
Boston April, 1862, leaving two children, Letitia, the wife of 
Alfred E. Hardy and Margaret, having buried three children. 

Letitia married William Smith, of Bradford, and died leaving 
three children. 

John married Mary Bachelder, and lives in Goffstown, having 
three children. 

David married Harriet Todd, having had four children. 

Margaret married John Richards, of Goffstown. 

Daniel M. married Hannah Augusta Young, of Deerfield, 
and has two children. 

Sally, daughter of James Gregg, married John Brown, of 
Bradford, and had six children : Joel, who is a physician, 
and resides in Newton, Mass. ; Jeremiah, who is a lawyer in 
Boston, a graduate of Dartmouth College ; Hannah, who mar- 
ried Truman Brachaway, and lives in Boston ; Jerusha died 
young ; Livonia, who married Mr. Simpson, of Manchester, 
who died in California ; and Nancy, who married a Bracket, 
and lives in Bradford, having a son, John Q. A., in Cambridge 
College. 

John, the son of Hugh Gregg, married a Waugh, and settled 
in Deering. 

Alexander, who married a Wilson, and Mary, who married a 
Person, settled also in Deering. 

Ann married William Patterson, and lived in New Boston, 
having had eight children. 

Rosanna married William Blair, and lived in New Boston, 
where Mr. William Woodbury now lives. She had three sons 
and seven daughters. 



355 



Leslie married Lydia Beard, and had one son and six daugh- 
ters ; his son married Jane Moor, and lived in the State of 
Maine ; Sallie married James Moor, and died in Cavendish, Vt. ; 
Lydia married Mr. McDougall, of Goffstown, and had nine 
children ; Mary married Foster Wyatt, of Amherst ; Rebecca 
married Levi Ordway, and lives in Cavendish, Vt. ; Hannah 
died in Goffstown ; Rachel married Samuel Campbell, of Bed- 
ford. 

Samuel, subsequently known as Samuel Gregg, Esq., mar- 
ried Jane Wilson, and died in Deering. 

Andrew Walker. — He came from Londonderry, and con- 
tracted with the proprietors to build a grain and saw mill, 
where Dodge and Bently's mills now stand, for which he was 
to receive five hundred acres of land, on condition that he 
should keep them in good running order, and be very accom- 
modating and reasonable in tolls and charges with the settlers. 
He built his mills in 1753, but was not guilty of being exces- 
sively accommodating to the settlers, and many and grievous 
complaints were made against him to the Proprietors, who, los- 
ing patience with him, instructed Dea. Thomas Cochran and 
John McAllister to deal summarily with him, if he did not 
speedily reform. He did do a little better for a time, but 
proved a hard subject ; and other mills were soon erected, and 
the settlers became independent of his. 

Walker's sons were Andrew, Alexander, James, and Robert ; 
his daughters were Peggy, Martha, and Jennet. Andrew lived 
in the north part of the town, marrying Ruth Woodbury, and 
subsequently moved to Unity, and died there ; Alexander died 
in the year 1776, at Mount Independence, in the camp; James 
went into the war of the Revolution, and afterwards lived in 
Antrim, and fell dead in the road ; Robert married a Miss 
Woodbury, and moved to Acworth, and died there ; Peggy 
married Jonathan Major ; he was a baker in the army ; after 
the war they separated, he going into the State of ^Jaine ; both 
are dead. 

Dea. Jesse Cristy. — He came from Londonderry, where he 
married Miss Mary Gregg, daughter of Samuel Gregg. He 
settled on what is called the Whipple farm on Clark's Hill, now 
owned by Mr. Edward Dodge. Mr. Cristy sold his farm to Mr. 



356 



John Whipple, and built mills where King's Mills now stand. 
He was chosen Deacon during the ministry of Rev. Mr. Moor. 
He was a very honest, friendly man, but' often indulged his 
appetite for intoxicating drinks, to an extent wholly inexcus- 
able. His wife was an estimable Christian woman ; she was 
also a very large woman, weighing between three and four 
hundred pounds, as many who remember her affirm. Their 
children were : Jeane, Peter, Samuel, John, Mary, Elizabeth, 
James, Mary Ann, Jesse, Robert, Anna, and William. Jeane 
became the wife of James Willson, Esq., and lived where Mr. 
Peter Jones now resides. Several of Dea. Cristy's sons, after 
the Revolution, moved into New Brunswick, where many of 
their descendants may now be found. Robert went into Ohio 
after the death of his mother, and his father accompanied him, 
and with him died. 

Dea. Thomas Cochra«n. — He was born in Londonderry, 
Ireland, about 1703. His father's name was James, and his 
mother's Letitia Patten. They were doubtless prisoners within 
the walls of that city, and took active part in its defence during 
the famous " Papal Siege." They immigrated to this country 
with their four children, two sons, Thomas and Peter, and two 

daughters, Molly and , about 1720, and, landing at 

Halifax, N. S., settled at Topsham, Maine, where he soon died, 
and the family moved to Londonderry, N. H. 

Peter went to New Jersey, and Molly married James Wilson, 
of Topsham, Maine, where it is said some of her descendants 
still reside. Thomas (afterwards Deacon) married Jennett 
Adams, of Londonderry , and came here about 1748. 

He was elected Deacon in the Presbyterian Church as early 
as 1768. He. was a proprietor, and owned large tracts of land. 
He settled where Thomas R. Cochran, his lineal descendant, 
now lives. He was early intrusted with important business by 
the Proprietors, and was for many years the most prominent 
man hi the town. His piety was sincere and consistent, and 
his character was always above reproach ; he was a safe coun- 
sellor and faithful friend. He was very useful as a carpenter, 
aiding gratuitously new settlers in framing and rendering com- 
fortable their dwellings. For many years there was no physi- 
cian in the town, but Deacon Cochran having some knowledge 



357 



of diseases and their proper treatment, was accustomed to care 
for the sick, and to exercise his surgical skill in setting many 
a bone. His house was the resting-place of weary travellers, 
and his table was ever free to the hungry. His children were, 
James, John, Robert, Peter, and Thomas, and two daughters, 
Letitia and Elizabeth. Robert went to Charleston, S. C, and 
become a large and wealthy planter, and died there leaving 
children. James married Miss Christina Aiken, of London- 
derry, and lived where Mr. Ephraim Dodge now lives, on Coch- 
ran Hill ; he died in 1772, aged about 40 years, receiving a 
fatal injury by being thrown from a vicious horse ; his children 
were: Thomas (the late Deacon Thomas), Margaret, who mar- 
ried Jesse Christy, and lived in Grafton, Vt. ; Jennett, never mar- 
ried ; Robert, who lived on a part of his father's farm, marrying 
for his wife Miss Sally McMillen ; Nathaniel ; John, known as 
the late Esquire John ; Peter, who graduated at Dartmouth 
College 1798, and became a Presbyterian minister, and going 
South, perished on the ocean ; John, another son of the first 
Deacon Thomas, lived on Cochran Hill ; Peter, another son, 
lived where the late Mr. Peter Cochran died, and where his son 
Alfred E. now lives. 

Deacon Cochran had two daughters: Letitia who married 
Dea. Robert Moor, of Londonderry, father of the present Miss 
Jane Moor ; and Elizabeth, who married Robert Hopkins, of 
Windham ; Thomas settled at home with his father, to aid him 
in his old age, but died October 6, 1770, aged 28. After a few 
years Dea. Cochran becoming infirm, abandoned his home- 
stead, and lived alternately with his sons, John and Peter, and 
died, with his son John, November 20, 1791, aged 89, a good 
man, whose memory deserves to be cherished by the whole town 
as well as by a grateful posterity. The late Mr. Abner Hogg 
said of him : " He was the best man I ever knew. There was 
no way in which you could view him, and not pronounce him 
good." Deacon Cochran's wife, his " blessed Jenney," as he 
was wont to call her, was a queenly woman, equal to her hus- 
band in all virtues. She was a crown of glory to him, and a 
blessing to the whole town. She carried relief to the sick and 
joy to the needy, and was a ministering angel in every sorrow- 
ing household. She died June 7, 1784, aged 76. The late 



358 



Mr. Luther Richards said of her : " I can remember her well, 
and a dear good woman she was too. Everybody loved her." 
" I can testify to all that," added the late Mr. Hogg. The first 
meeting of the town was called at Deacon Cochran's house March 
10, 1763, and that of the present year (1863) was held March 

10, one hundred years after the first, the same day and hour, 
at the Town House ; a coincidence of dates which was appro- 
priately noticed by the town amid its deliberations. 

John Cochran. — He was son of the foregoing Dea. Thomas 
Cochran. He settled on the Cochran Hill, where his daughter 
Peggy, at the venerable age of 87, now lives, occupying the 
same house which her father built nearly a hundred years ago, 
being the first framed house erected in that part of the town. 
Mr. Cochran married Miss Elizabeth Boyce, daughter of Joseph 
Boyce, a descendant of a celebrated divine of Dublin, Ireland. 
Their children were: Mary Ann, born October 16, 1764, who 
died August 9, 1838, in her seventy-third year ; she married 
Jesse Cristy, son of Captain George Cristy, who died April 26, 
1841, aged 83 ; Letitia, born May 1, 1766, died unmarried 
February 15, 1857, aged 91 ; Joseph, who was born October 

11, 1767, and died October 30, 1841, aged 84 ; he was a Deacon 
in the Presbyterian Church ; James, born May 5, 1769, who 
lived where Mr. Cudworth now lives, and died April 8, 1845, 
aged 76 ; Thomas, who was born April 14, 1771 ; Jennett, born 
March 20, 1773, who became the wife of Peter Cochran, and 
died May 15, 1863, aged 90 ; John and Elizabeth, twins, died 
young; Margaret (Peggy), born July 25, 1776, and is yet liv- 
ing; Betsey, born August 16, 1778, who died insane, March 31, 
1838, in her 59th year ; John Davidson, born October 26, 1780, 
and died June 14, 1850, aged 69 ; Mary and Robert, twins, 
born January 30, 1783 ; Mary married, in 1812, William Brown, 
Esq., and Robert became a Presbyterian minister, and- died 
August 1, 1818, aged 35, leaving one son and one daughter; 
the daughter becoming the wife of the late Abraham Cochran, 
and the son, General William S. Cochran, lives in Rockland, 
Me. Mr. Cochran was an excellent man ; having ample means, 
he maintained a most hospitable table. New settlers made his 
house their home as long as it was necessary, and travellers 
were never tnrned away unfed, his " latch-string being never 



359 



pulled in " by day nor by night. He was skilled in hunting 
game, in which he took great pleasure. Mr. Daniel Dodge 
carries a cane, the head of which is the antler of a deer shot by 
Mr. Cochran in his own field near his house. He was a man 
of giant frame, and great personal courage and prowess. Tra- 
dition says that having followed a bear to her den, from which 
she could not be driven, he, with a torch in one hand, and his 
never-erring musket in the other, entered the den and shot her in 
her dark recess, and putting a rope around her neck, with the 
assistance of his neighbors drew her forth as a trophy. Mr. 
Cochran was very useful as a house carpenter, in which trade 
he was much employed. He was a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, and lived a consistent christian life, and died March 
29, 1825, aged 88 ; his wife died October 23, 1821, aged 83. 
At his funeral Rev. E. P. Bradford preached from the text 
Gen. 1. 1 : " And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept 
upon him, and kissed him." At her funeral Rev. Mr. Bradford 
preached from the text Gen. xxiii. 2 : " And Sarah died in Kir- 
jath-arba ; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan : and 
Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her." 

"We give the following additional facts respecting his chil- 
dren : — 

Mary Ann, his daughter, became the second wife of Jesse 
Cristy, son of Capt. George Cristy, the first male child born in 
New Boston ; being a blacksmith by trade, he lived many 
years on Cochran Hill, but at length moved to Grafton, Vt. 
His first wife was the daughter of James Cochran. His chil- 
dren by his last wife were : Margaret C, born Aug. 27, 1801, 
and died June 4, 1859, being the wife of Jonathan Sherwin, 
of Grafton, Vt., and Achsah, born Feb. 18, 1804, and died 
Sept. 25, 1858 ; Letitia lived and died in the house in which 
she was born, unmarried ; Joseph married Margaret Hogg ; 
James married Jane Crombie ; Thomas married Mary Barstow, 
of Hanover, Mass. ; graduating at Brown University, he 
studied theology, and was settled as a Congregational minister 
in Camden, Me., his children being Elizabeth B., John Boyce, 
Nathaniel Barstow, Deborah Barstow, and Sydney C. T. This 
John B. married Elizabeth Fletcher, of Lowell, Mass., and is 
an enterprising farmer m Linden, Genesee Co., Mich. ; and 



360 



Nathaniel B. married Jane Lees, of New Ipswich, N. H., May 
4, 1841, and was for many years a popular steamboat captain 
on the Hudson River, but has lately retired to a farm near his 
brother in Michigan, a gentleman of fine literary taste and an 
antiquarian of rare attainments ; Jennet married Peter Coch- 
ran ; John Davidson married Letitia, daughter of Ninian 
Clark, Esq., and built the large house at the corner of the four 
roads on Cochran Hill. He possessed an ardent, genial, tem- 
perament, and was greatly given to hospitality. He, in com- 
mon with the Beards and Fersons, was a popular school- 
teacher during the first quarter of the present century. His 
children were : Thomas Hamilton, born June 15, 1812 ; Robert 
Clark, born Nov. 4, 1813 ; Jonathan Ramsey, born Nov. 12, 
1815, and deceased Nov. 28, 1855 ; John Boyce, born May 27, 
1817 ; and Mary Letitia, born July 3, 1820. Robert C. studied 
law and settled in. Gallatin, Miss., marrying, Oct. 17, 1844, 
Mary, daughter of Rev. E. P. Bradford, their children being 
Henry Bradford and Letitia Clark. Jonathan R. was an 
enterprising, public-spirited man, and died in California Nov. 
30, 1855, where he had resided for some years ; John B. mar- 
ried Elizabeth Adams, of New York, and now resides in Lan- 
sing, Michigan ; Mary L. became the wife of Benjamin Russell, 
of Milford, in 1848, who, in 1850, with his wife's brother, 
Jonathan Cochran, went to California, and was accidentally 
drowned in the bay of San Francisco. Being an upright and 
energetic man, he was highly esteemed, and his death greatly 
deplored. His widow, in 1853, became the wife of James Pat- 
ten, Esq., of Berne, New York. They have one daughter, 
Mary Letitia. Robert, the youngest son of John Cochran, 
married Abigail Stacy, of Wiscassett, Me., and died August 1, 
1818, aged 35. Mary, the youngest daughter of John Coch- 
ran, married William Brown, of Union, Me., and has two 
children, a son and a daughter ; the son resides in Nashua, 
and the daughter resides in New Boston, the wife of Charles 
Goodrich. 

Peter Cochran. — He was the son of Deacon Thomas Coch- 
ran, married Mary M'Curdy, and lived on the South Hill, 
where Mr. Alfred E. Cochran now lives. He died March 4, 
1828, aged 89, and his wife died April 2, 1841, aged 92. 



361 

Their children were : Robert, who married and lived in Ver- 
mont ; Jennet, who married Capt. Wm. Stinson, of Dunbarton, 
father of the present Col. Charles Stinson, who married Susan, 
daughter of Robert Cochran, brother to Jennet ; Nancy, who 
married Ninian Clark, of Hancock, brother of Dea. Robert C, 
and son of William ; Letitia, who married Abraham Story, 
Esq., and lived in Washington ; Peter, who married Louis 
Story, of Dunbarton, and lived on the homestead, having one 
son, Alfred E., who married Clarinda Parker, and their chil- 
dren are Wallace, Warren S., Sarah, and George E. Mr. 
Peter Cochran died Feb. 15, 1862, his second wife being Mary 
Fairfield, of Saco, Me. James, another son of Peter Clark 
the elder, died unmarried, and Mary, another daughter, mar- 
ried Peter Jones. Jesse died young. 

Capt. George Cristy. — He came from Londonderry about 
1750, having married Margaret Kelso, daughter of Alexander 
Kelso, of Londonderry. Her brother John subsequently set- 
tled where his grandson, Mr. Robert Kelso, now resides. Capt. 
Cristy settled where Dea. Sumner L. Cristy lives. His chil- 
dren are Anna, Jesse, Thomas, John, George, Mary, Nancy, 
Margaret, and some others. Margaret became insane, and 
Anna married William Campbell, who lived where Mr. Lemuel 
Marden now resides. Capt. Cristy became quite affluent for 
his times, and had a very respectable family. His wife was 
a highly esteemed lady. He died April 22, 1790, aged 58, and 
his wife died March 13, 1799. 

Before Mr. Cristy had cleared land enough to afford forage for 
his cow, he was accustomed to drive her to the meadow, near 
what were the Dea. Jesse Cristy's Mills. One evening, when 
he was unable to go for his cow himself, Mrs. Cristy, with her 
dog and pail, went for the milk, with the intent of leaving the 
cow at the meadow. Obtaining the milk, she started for 
home ; but when darkness came she found herself just where 
she had started. With a heavy heart she saw the necessity 
of passing the night by the side of the cow with her dog, 
though an infant child at home demanded her presence. She 
passed a sleepless night, rendered hideous by the howling of 
wolves and a consciousness of danger. With the dawn of 
light she started for home, guided by spotted trees, and soon 

46 



362 

met her husband in search of her, who had in like manner, 
with his little ones, passed a night of terrible suspense. 

John McMillen. — He came to New Boston in 1755, and 
settled the tract of land owned by the late Dea. Elzaphan 
Dodge and by Jonathan Marden. After a few years he sold to 
his cousin Daniel McMillen, and settled the tract of land now 
owned by Ezra Morgan, and subsequently moved to Littleton, 
and died in the town of Lyman, at the age of 95 ; and his wife 
died at the age of 90. 

Mr. McMillen was in the Revolutionary war, serving in 
Rhode Island in the militia, being called out to defend certain 
places, while the veterans advanced against the British. His 
sons were Alexander, Samuel, Daniel, Joseph, Henry ; and 
his daughters were Mary, Sally, Nancy, Hannah, Rachel, 
Catherine. Most of his sons settled in Western New York. 
Mary became the wife of James McMillen, who settled in New 
Boston. Sally became the wife of Robert Cochran, and lived 
in New Boston. Rachel married a Mr. Haskins. Catherine 
became the wife of a Mr. Pike, and lived in Western New 
York. 

Mr. McMillen was a worthy citizen, and a consistent mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church, and was . often entrusted with 
important business by the town. 

Daniel McMillen. — He bought, as above stated, the farm 
of John McMillen, where he lived and died. When about 
eighteen, he enlisted in the Revolutionary war, in the militia, 
and was at West Point when Benedict Arnold went over to the 
British ; and was guarding Arnold's house when he rode 
away, observing strange movements and personages about the 
premises before daybreak, not mistrusting what was transpir- 
ing. Just before this event he and others, under an appro- 
priate officer, were sent out to bring in wood ; and while 
engaged in this, a fine looking officer approached, and they 
were ordered to open right and left and salute him, which sal- 
utation was gracefully returned by the unknown rider. Soon 
after Major Andre, the spy, was taken, and was identified as 
the same officer whom they had saluted, then on his way to 
Arnold to consummate the arrangements for his defection. 

After the war, Mr. McMillen married Mary, the daughter of 



363 



the above John McMillen. Their children were six sons and 
four daughters, — John, James, Annanias, William, Daniel, 
David, Sally, Alice, Polly, and Betsey. John lived in Wash- 
ington, was deacon in the Congregational Church there, and 
highly respected as a citizen and christian. James lived on 
that part of his father's farm now owned by Jonathan Marden, 
and erected the buildings thereon. He died in 1849, aged 86. 
Annanias settled in Littleton. William lived on that part of 
his father's farm owned by the late Dea. E. Dodge, but subse- 
quently moved to Newport, and died there. Daniel lived in 
Bradford. David lived and died in Littleton. Sally became 
the wife of James Steele, and lived in Washington, but died in 
New York. Alice became the wife of John Lynch, and lived 
and died in New Boston. Polly married Zebi Wright, and 
lived in Littleton, but died in Manchester. 

James had twelve children : John, who lived in Lyman, 
and died in Lyndeborough ; Sally, who married Andrew 
Walker, Jr., who built the house where Issachar Andrews 
lives ; they subsequently moved to Unity, where she still lives ; 
Abigail married Henry George, of Goffstown, and lived in 
Haverhill ; after his death, she became the wife of David 
Tewksbury, of this town ; Daniel, who married Eliza Lewis, of 
Francestown, and lives in New Boston, having seven children ; 
James, first and second, who died young ; and Rachel, who 
married William Hunter, and lived in Boston for many years, 
and now lives in Maiden ; Syrean, who married John Emerson 
and lives in Boston ; Adeline and Caroline, twins ; the first 
married Ezra B. Peabody, and lives in Brookline ; the second 
married William Haywood, and lives in Connecticut ; Absa- 
lom, who lives in Unity ; Henry, who lived in South Carolina, 
and died there. 

Nathaniel Cochran. — His father's name was John, and was 
born in Ireland. He married Lilly Killgore, and came to 
America in the year 1717. They landed at Brunswick, in the 
State of Maine, where Bowdoin College now stands. He was, 
by way of distinction, called John " The Man." Their chil- 
dren were as follows : James, Joseph, Thomas, Nathaniel, Sam- 
uel, Elizabeth, and Susannah. James, when sixteen years of 
age, was a soldier in the King's service, and was taken prisoner 



364 

by two Indians, on the Sheepscot River in Maine ; and on the 
second night after his capture he killed them both while they 
were sleeping; he brought their scalps and guns to Boston 
April 3, 1725. For this act of bravery he received as a re- 
ward twenty pounds, lawful money, and a discharge from the 
service one year before the term of his enlistment expired, 
and was ever after called " Indian Jemmy." He subsequently 
removed to Pennsylvania. Nathaniel was born in Ireland in 
the year 1714, was three years old when his father brought him 
to America. He married Miss Jael Martin, and came from 
Londonderry to New Boston, it is thought, about 1755. Their 
children were as follows : John, born 1745, on Noddle's Island, 
now called East Boston, Mass., and died at New Boston June 
8, 1805, aged 60 ; James, born in Salem, Mass., Feb. 14, 1748, 
and died at New Boston May 11, 1837, aged 89 ; Elijah, born 
in Salem, Mass., August 23, 1751, and died at New Boston 
Jan. 15, 1850, aged 99 ; Jennette was born in Salem, Mass., 
and died in Londonderry. Mr. Cochran's wife died in Lon- 
donderry, 1753 ; and he married for his second wife Elizabeth 
Henderson, by whom he had a daughter, named Jael, born at 
New Boston 1768, and died at Belvidere, Vt. Mr. Cochran's 
second wife died July 16, 1796, and he died July 16, 1802, 
aged 88, where Mrs. Sargent resides. 

John Cochran, Esq. — He was son of the above-named 
Nathaniel ; born 1745, married Martha Dickey Sept. 2, 1773, 
and settled near his father's, where the widow of Col. Ira Coch- 
ran lately died. Their children were as follows : Nathaniel, 
born Aug. 14, 1774, supposed to have been killed in a skirmish 
with a party of Spanish Royalists, near the Gulf of Mexico, 
about Dec. 25, 1816 ; Samuel, born March 7; 1776, and died 
at Opelousas, St. Martins, Louisiana, July 12, 1832 ; Martha 
D., born Oct. 26, 1777, died Sept. 23,1778 ; Martin, born Nov. 
29, 1779, and died Aug., 1782 ; William, born May 9, 1781, 
and died at Boston July 17, 1821, of yellow fever, which pre- 
vailed in Boston that year ; Ira, born Jan. 2, 1786, it being 
the second day of the year, the second day of the month, the 
second day of the week, and the second day of the new moon, 
and he died Oct. 27, 1818 ; Mary Boyd, born March 28, 1739, 
died June 14, 1850, being married to Levi Cochran Oct. 31, 



365 



1820 ; John Bruce, born Aug. 3, 1794, and died at Boston 
Aug. 14, 1821, of yellow fever ; Mr. Cochran's wife died March 
16, 1843, aged 92, and he died June 8, 1805, aged 60. Mr. 
Cochran was an intelligent, upright man ; he was for many 
years a Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk, and Selectman, doing 
business with great facility and accuracy. He was a warm 
Whig, and espoused the cause of the Patriots with great zeal, 
and this brought him often into collision with the Tories, whom 
he resisted with great ability. He was a member of the Pres- 
byterian Church, and was exemplary as a christian. 

James Cochran. — He was son of Nathaniel, and brother of 
the above-named John. He married Anna Waugh Sept. 28, 
1780. She was born Nov. 5, 1761, and died April 28, 1785. 
Their children were : Jane, born March 24, 1782, who became 
the wife of Col. Ira Cochran, and died July 14, 1861, aged 79 ; 
Elizabeth, born Sept. 26, 1783, and married Moses Peabody 
August 8, 1805, and is still living at the venerable age of 80 ; 
and an infant son born April 1, 1785, and died the same day. 
Mr. Cochran married Elizabeth Stone for his second wife, who 
was born in Salem, Mass., July 8, 1763, and died Nov., 14, 1808, 
and their children were : Joseph, Anna, Susannah, John, who 
died July 26, 1795 ; Martha D., died July 25, 1795 ; Lydia, Ru- 
hamah, died Aug. 25, 1801 ; Nathaniel M. and Hiram. Mr. 
Cochran settled where John Lamson lives. Mr. Cochran died 
May 11, 1837, aged 89, greatly respected as a citizen and be- 
loved as a friend and christian. His life was characterized by 
uprightness and pious zeal ; he successfully raised a large 
family of children. Additional facts may be found respecting 
some of his children, and those of his brother John, after what 
is recorded of Elijah Cochran. 

Elijah Cochran. — He was son of Nathaniel and brother of 
the above-named James ; and lived on Buxton Hill. He was a 
tailor by trade. He married Jemima Gregg June 24, 1779, 
and she died Aug. 27, 1834, aged 80. Their children were 
Nathaniel, Mary Martin, James Gregg, Samuel, Isaac, and 
Hitty. Mr. Cochran was in the war of the Revolution, being 
at the battle of Bennington, and died in 1850, aged 99. 

Jael, daughter of Nathaniel, married Enoch Dodge, and had 
eleven children. 



366 

Nathaniel, son of John and Martha, married Celeste Prud- 
homer, and their children are : Mary, who became the wife of 
Michael Hargrider, and Martha, who married Andrew Myers. 

William, son of John, married Mary Fletcher May, 1807, 
and their children are Martha, Agnes Gorden, Mary Ann, and 
Elizabeth. 

Ira, son of John, married Jane, daughter of James, Feb. 19, 
1815 ; and their children were : John Harris, born March 3, 
1816, and died in the Army Hospital near Washington in 
1863, and James Dinsmore, who died young. Mrs. Cochran 
died July 14, 1861, aged 79 ; and Col. Ira, her husband, died 
Oct. 22, 1818, aged 32. Mary Boyd, daughter of John, mar- 
ried Levi Cochran Oct. 31, 1820, and died June 14, 1850, aged 
61. Their children are : Mary Bradford, now the wife of Reu- 
ben Dodge, and Sarah Martha, who became the wife of David 
M. McCollom. 

Elizabeth, daughter of James, married Moses Peabody Aug. 
8,1805. 

Susannah, daughter of James, married Jonathan Cochran 
Nov. 26, 1812, and resides in Bangor, Me., their children being 
Mary Emily, Sarah B., Martha A., and Helen A. 

Lydia, daughter of James, married Phineas Dodge Dec. 31, 
1822, her children being Elizabeth, who married Oliver Wal- 
cott, and Arvilla, who married Arnmi Follett. She died at 
Johnson, Yt., Feb. 14, 1828. 

Nathaniel Martin, son of James, married Elizabeth Knights 
Jan. 30, 1827 ; their children being Nathaniel D., Elizabeth 
M., Arvilla, and James M. He died at Franklin, Dutch Settle- 
ment Parish, St. Mary's, Louisiana, Nov. 16, 1838. 

Anna, daughter of James, married Joseph Batchelder. 

Hiram, son of James, married, and had several children, and 
died at Orono, Me., Sept. .1, 1844. 

Joseph Cochran, Esq. — He was son of James, and married 
Anna Wilson Nov. 1, 1810. Their children are : William P., 
born March 2, 1811, and resides at Bellows Falls, Vt. ; Ru- 
hamah, born Feb. 25, 1812, now the wife of Hon. Horace 
Chace, of Hopkinton ; Eliza J., born May 16, 1813 ; Elvira, 
born Feb. 27, 1815, and died Aug. 19, 1840, in Michigan, the 
wife of Charles Merrill ; James M., born Feb. 28, 1817, and 




J. ill affords Lilt. 







367 

resides in Stonington, 111., the pastor of the Baptist Church in 
that place ; his wife was Jane M. Philbrook ; Mary Ann, born 
June 26, 1819, now the wife of Henry Holt ; Walter W., born 
May 18, 1821, who lives at Bellows Falls, Vt., connected with 
railroads centring there ; Joseph L., born Feb. 16, 1823, and 
resides in Holyoke, Mass., engaged in manufacturing ; he mar- 
ried Miss Sarah Weeks ; Hannah W., born June 14, 1825 ; 
Cynthia C, born Aug. 16, 1827, and died June 26, 1852 ; and 
Augusta K., born Aug. 13, 1830. 

Walter Wardrobe married Eliza Ann Corning Sept. 23, 
1847. She was born Nov. 23, 1822, and their children are : 
Frank Byron, born March 15, 1851 ; Stella Ann, born July 7, 
1853 ; Emma Jane, born March 10, 1855 ; and Lizzie Etta, 
born Feb. 29, 1860. 

Joseph Cochran, better known as Joseph Cochran, Jr., was a 
good scholar for his day, and greatly excelled in penmanship ; 
and this was early called into requisition in various ways as 
Town Clerk and secretary of religious societies. He was very 
accurate in the transaction of business, and much of his time 
was devoted to town affairs and the settling of estates. He 
was commissioned ensign in the 9th Co. 9th Regt. N. H. 
Militia, June 11 ? 1810, by Gov. John Langdon, and as Lieut. 
June 17, 1812, by Gov. Wm. 'Plummer, and as Capt. June 15, 
1815, by Gov. J. T. Gilman. He held commissions as Justice 
of the Peace, beginning with June 19, 1816, from Govs. Plum- 
mer, Bell, Morrill, Dinsmore, Hill, Paige, Colby, and Dinsmore, 
the last bearing date July 2, 1851, extending through a period 
of forty years. 

Sept. 28, 1846, he was commissioned by Gov. Anthony Colby 
Special Justice of the Police Court of the City of Manchester, 
to which city he had removed. He early identified himself 
with the temperance. cause, and devoted to it his most vigorous 
energies. He was very efficient in the erection of the Presby- 
terian and Baptist meeting-houses, and aided much the cause 
of Sabbath schools. In politics he was formerly identified with 
the Democratic party, but early espoused the cause of the 
progressive patriots, who sought to remove slavery as the con- 
trolling power in the government, and with that party he con- 
tinued to act until his death. 



368 



Mr. Cochran was for many years a member of the Presby- 
terian Church; but in the most friendly manner left that to 
unite with the Baptist, having changed his views of the doctrine 
of baptism. As infirmities increased he removed to Bellows 
Falls, Vt., where several of his children had already gone ; and 
there with them he spent his last years, and died January 17, 
1863, aged nearly 78, greatly beloved by his family and re- 
spected by all who knew him. 

Abraham Cochran. — After his marriage with Jennette Coch- 
ran, of Londonderry, of which he himself was a native, Mr. 
Cochran came to New Boston, and settled on the rich swell of 
land, now in the possession of Benjamin Baker, who married his 
granddaughter. He also purchased the large and well-timber- 
ed lot of land owned by the late Deacon Abraham Cochran, his 
grandson. He had five children : Andrew, Jane, Peter, Ann, 
and Mary, the first two dying young ; Peter married Jennette, 
daughter of John Cochran on Cochran Hill, — inherited the 
homestead, and died January 20, 1843, aged 75. His children 
were Jane, Abraham, John Davidson, Margaret Ann, Mary 
Elizabeth, and Andrew, who died' when a child. Jane married 
Robert, son of the late Dea. Robert Crombie, and lives inNew 
Boston ; Abraham, born September 1, 1802, married Almira 
Trull, of Townsend, Mass., September 9,1830, and lives where 
William Andrews now resides. Mrs. Cochran died, leaving 
him five children, — Lydia Jane, Andrew D., Alonzo B., Almus 
P., and A. Josephine. Mr. Cochran married for his second 
wife Abigail, daughter of Rev. Robert Cochran, of Wiscasset, 
Maine, January 20, 1847, by whom he had two daughters, 
Almira T. and Abbie Maria. Mr. Cochran was a member of 
the Presbyterian Church, and for many years was an elder in 
it. He died July 22, 1856, in Rutland, Vt., on his return 
home from a journey taken for his health,. aged 54 years. Dea. 
Cochran was a sincere christian and an upright man, and his 
end was peace. His son Alonzo died April 22, 1858, aged 22, 
a young man of great promise ; and his daughter, Lydia, died 
August 14, 1860, aged 29, a thorough scholar ; and his son 
Andrew, a member of Dartmouth College, died October 23, 
1860, aged 27, near San Antonia, Texas, where he had gone 
in search of health, hoping to stay the progress of consumption, 



369 



of which his father, brother, and sister had died. He was a 
young man of exemplary piety, and possessed a superior intel- 
lect. Almus, another son of Dea. A. Cochran, is in the army of 
the Cumberland, and A. Josephine, his youngest daughter by 
his first wife, is a graduate of New Ipswich Academy. 

John Davidson (son of Peter) married Margaret Todd, of 
Belfast, Maine, and lives in Milford, his surviving children be- 
ing Albert A., now in the service of his country, and Jennie M. 

Margaret Ann, daughter of Peter, married Benjamin Baker, 
of Newbury, Vt., and they live on the homestead in New Bos- 
ton, having two children, Benjamin F., and Annie M. ; Mary 
Elizabeth married Peter E. Hadley, Esq., of Goffstown, and they 
have two sons, George P. and Charles C. 

Peter Cochran, father of the late Dea. Abraham Cochran, 
was distinguished from all other Peter Coehrans by the worthy 
title " Honest Peter," a title justly due to him. 

John McLauglen. — He settled on Bradford Hill, and built 
the house in which Rev. Mr. Bradford lived. He had a son, 
John, who kept store and tavern, and was a man of great busi- 
ness activity, for many years he kept the town astir with his 
enterprises, which were greatly beneficial to the community if 
not remunerative to himself. A worthy descendant of his may 
be found in Colonel Thomas McLaughlen, son of David, born 
in New Boston March 11, 1800, moved into Vermont with his 
father when a lad, and has been for the last twenty-five years 
the owner of Clarendon Springs, and the well known and 
popular proprietor of the Clarendon House, a romantic and 
quiet retreat among the green hills of Vermont, where thou- 
sands from all parts of New England and the great Metropolis 
resort annually to receive healing from its waters, and enjoy a 
respite from the heated atmosphere and din of city life. Colonel 
McLaughlen is a philanthropic, public-spirited man, and a 
liberal contributor to the religious and charitable institutions 
of the day. 

William Clark, Esq. — He was son of Robert Clark, of Lon- 
donderry, who came to this country about the year 1725, set- 
tling on the height of land northwest of Beaver Pond, and died 
in 1775 ; his wife, who was Letitia, daughter of John Cochran, 
of Londonderry in Ireland, died in 1783. Their children were 

47 



370 



William, John, Samuel, Ninian, Jane, Letitia, Agnes, and 
Elizabeth. 

William married Anne Wallace, of Londonderry, February 
2, 1764, and settled in 1766, in New Boston, where Mr. George 
W. Clark, his grandson, lives. Their children were Letitia, 
Robert, Ann, John, Mnian, Rebecca, Samuel, Ann, and Letitia. 
Mr. Clark was the only Justice of the Peace in town who re- 
ceived his commission from the British Government ; he did 
not sympathize at first with the patriots of the Revolution, and 
made enemies thereby. But he was a man with whom the 
town could not afford to be long angry. As a surveyor of land 
he had no equal in the town ; as an intelligent justice his ser- 
vices were of great value. He was a just man, and sought to 
promote peace and save the town and private parties from liti- 
gation ; he was employed in the service of the town for a long 
succession of years in almost every capacity, and had the un- 
bounded confidence of the people. He was a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, and lived and died as a christian, and 
left a name that will not soon be forgotten. His death trans- 
pired March 9, 1808, aged 73. His wife died June 12, 1792, 
aged 55. 

Dea. Robert Clark. — He was son of the foregoing William, 
and was born in Londonderry October 6, 1765, before his father 
moved here. Robert inherited the homestead, and married 
Annis Wallace March 4, 1790. ' Their children were Rebecca 
Wallace, Ann, Frances Moor, William, Sally Wallace, Jane 
Moor, Louisa Letitia, Cordelia, and George Washington. Mr. 
Clark was chosen elder in the Presbyterian Church about the 
time of Mr. Bradford's ordination, and greatly magnified his 
office by his exemplary and holy life. His christian zeal and 
uniform devotion to Christ and his cause gave him great power 
in the church, and secured to him the confidence of the town. 
For many years he filled important offices, and was always 
deemed a safe counsellor, and a friend of peace and good order. 
He died September 18, 1826, aged 61, greatly lamented by a 
bereaved church and an afflicted community. His wife died 
January 5, 1850, aged 82, being an excellent woman, a great 
help to her husband, and the succorer of many. 

Their daughter Ann married, December 28, 1813, Mr. Robert 




-'SA-.TerAIzth. 




I^PrVTU^ 



^V- ($4 




371 

Mack, of Londonderry ; Frances Moor married, October 13, • 
1829, the Rev. Samuel Wallace Clark, who died in Greenland 
August 17, 1847, aged 52 ; Jane Moor married Alexander 
Gregg October 3, 1820, and they live in Medford, Mass., he 
being the son of the late Samuel Gregg, Esq. ; their son, Wil- 
liam Robert, married Hannah Caldwell, of Manchester, Mass., 
in 1848, and they live in Boston ; George W. married, April 2, 
1837, Letitia M., daughter of William Crombie, of Fulton, New 
York, and lives on the home farm. 

John Clark. — He was a son of William, and brother of 
Robert. He married Rebecca Wallace, sister of Deacon Rob- 
ert's wife, and their children were : Ann, who died in Amherst ; 
Samuel Wallace, who married Frances Moor, daughter of Dea. 
Robert Clark, and died in Greenland ; William, a clergyman, 
now residing in Amherst, Secretary of the N. H. Home Mis- 
sionary Society ; and Gilman, now living in Foxcraft, Me. ; 
Abbie, who became the wife of Mr. Kent, and lives in "Vermont ; 
John, married and lived in Georgia for many years, but now at 
the North ; Lydia and Letitia, who live in Amherst. 

Rebecca Clark. — She was daughter of William, and mar- 
ried Moses Cristy March 20, 1788, and they settled where Dea. 
Sumner L. Cristy now lives. Their children were : John, who 
married Polly Dodge for his first wife, and Roxanna Baker for 
his second, and died in Johnson, Vt. ; Anna became the wife 
of Stephen Durant, and, for her second husband, married John 
Carroll, and died in Lowell, Mass. ; William Clark married 
Hannah Taylor, and lives in Charlestown, Mass. ; David, who 
died Sept. 8, 1802 ; Robert died in childhood ; James married 
Jane Dodge, and lives in Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Elizabeth S. mar- 
ried Ezra Harthan, and died at Great Falls ; Mary, who became 
the second wife of Ezra Harthan, and died at Great Ealls ; Le- 
titia died unmarried ; Nancy, who died young ; and Sumner 
L., who was born May 26, 1807, and married Sarah Hooper, 
daughter of the late Jacob Hooper, and their children are : Sa- 
rah, who became the wife of E. F. Baker, and resides in Sa- 
lem, Mass. ; Elizabeth H., who graduated at Mount Holyoke, 
Mass., in 1860 ; Mary L. ; Harland P., living in Flint, Mich. ; 
Martyn K. ; Charles S. Mrs. Cristy died May 4, 1854. Dea. 
S. L. Cristy married, for his second wife, Emily Whiting, daugh- 
ter of the late Capt. Gerry Whiting. 



372 

Ninian Claek. — He was son of William, and married Nancy 
Cochran, daughter of Peter Cochran, the elder, and sister of 
the late Peter. He settled in Hancock, and died there. His 
children were : Nancy, who married Peter Whitcomb, of Lon- 
donderry ; Peter Cochran, who died in New Jersey while teach- 
ing school. Mr. Clark married, for his second wife, Sally War- 
ner, by whom he had children : Warner, who died in Hancock ; 
Reid Paige, who lives in Londonderry, marrying for his wife a 
Miss Perkins ; Avory, who married a Miss Goodhue, and lives 
t in Hancock ; Almira ; Augustus Ninian, who lives in Beverly, 
Mass. ; Robert, who died in California ; and Mary Ann, who 
lives in Hancock. 

Ninian Clark, Esq. — He was son of Robert Clark, of 
Londonderry, and came with his brother William, and settled 
near him, where Mr. William Orne now lives. He married 
Mary Ramsey, sister of the wife of the late Dea. Thomas Coch- 
ran, Nov. 11, 1773. Their children were William, Lydia, 
Robert, Hugh Hamilton, Letitia, David, Jonathan, and Samuel. 
William, born Sept. 29, 1774, inherited the homestead, and 
married Abigail H. Farwell, of Merrimack, having for children : 
Abigail D., who died young ; Robert H., who went west ; Mary 
R., who was made deaf by spotted fever, and has since died ; 
Rebecca G., who married Joel Fairbanks, and lives in New Bos- 
ton, her husband dying Sept. 10, 1862 ; Ann, who married Wil- 
liam C. Cochran June 2, 1840, and lives in New Boston ; John 
C, who was made mute by spotted fever, living in Nashua, where 
he died, and marrying for his wife Caroline Dunnison, of Fran- 
cestown ; Abigail, who in like manner was made mute, and 
married Albert Gove, a mute, of Henniker ; Margaret, who 
became the wife of Dr. James Danforth, of New Boston, and 
died Sept. 18, 1851 ; William Dalton, who married Nancy, 
daughter of John Moor, and lives in Davenport, Iowa ; Lydia 
(daughter of Ninian), born May 3, 1776, and became the wife 
of John Crombie ; Robert, born June 23, 1778, became a mer- 
chant, and died in Boston, unmarried ; Hugh Hamilton, born 
Nov. 2, 1780, became a merchant in Boston, of the firm Hum- 
phry and Clark, and died April 11, 1818, aged 37 ; his wife 
being Nancy Barnard, daughter of Rev. Jeremiah Barnard, of 
Amherst, who died Dec. 1, 1803, aged 27, by whom he had 



373 



three children ; Anne B., who married the Hon. Charles G. 
Atherton, and now lives in Boston ; and Frances, who became 
the wife of the Rev. Alonzo Hill, of Worcester, Mass. ; and 
Hamilton ; Letitia (another daughter of Ninian) was born 
April 11, 1783, and became the wife of John Davidson Cochran, 
son of John Cochran, on Cochran Hill ; David Ramsey (another 
son of Ninian) was born June 23, 1785, and died June 18, 
1823, aged 37, living where the late John Linch died, having 
by his first wife one daughter, who married John Nichols, of 
Boston, and by his second a son, Ninian Ramsey, who lives in 
Somerville, Mass., marrying Cordelia Benner, of Waldoborough, 
Me., and has one daughter ; also three daughters : one, Re- 
becca, marrying a Mr. Reid, of New Orleans ; and the second, 
Sophia, who married a Mr. Reid, and lives in Bridgewater, 
Mass. ; and the third, Frances, who married a Mr. Howard of 
Bridgewater, Mass. Jonathan, another son of Ninian, was born 
April 27, 1789, and died May 13, 1814 ; and Samuel, the last 
son of Ninian, was born April 21, 1791, being prepared for 
Dartmouth College by the Rev. Mr. Beede, of Wilton, grad- 
uating 1812. He studied theology with Rev. Dr. Channing, 
and was ordained pastor of the Unitarian Church in Princeton, 
Mass., June 18, 1817, and was installed at Uxbridge Jan. 9, 
1833, and remained pastor of that church until his death, which 
occurred Nov. 19, 1855. He married Miss Sarah Wigglesworth, 
an estimable christian woman, who died some years before him, 
himself being " a man of rare modesty, great self-denial, imper- 
turbable good-nature, excellent gifts, large culture, and unflinch- 
ing fidelity to duty ; " and when the Master called he was ready. 
Mr. Ninian Clark, father of the foregoing, was an extraor- 
dinary man, of large sympathies, and a noble spirit. He was 
for many years a Justice of the Peace, filling many offices with 
fidelity ; always characterized for his unflinching integrity. He 
was for many years a member of the Presbyterian Church, and 
his life and character were models for imitation. No two men 
in town exerted a more widely-extended influence, nor more 
enduring and happy, than Ninian Clark and his brother Wil- 
liam. Mr. Ninian Clark died May 25, 1828, aged 87, and his 
wife died Jan. 11, 1791. 



374 



James Crombie. — He was son of John Crombie, who em- 
igrated from the north of Ireland, and settled in Londonderry 
about the year 1720, marrying Joan Rankin Nov. 17, 1721, by 
whom he had nine children: Hugh, William, James, John, Eliz- 
abeth, Mary Jane, Nancy, and Ann. 

James came to New Boston in 1783, and settled where C. F. 
Farley lives, having married Jane Clark, daughter of Robert 
Clark, of Londonderry, by whom he had six sons and two 
daughters, all of whom were born prior to his coming to New 
Boston, except Clark. His children were as follows : — William, 
born Dec. 16, 1766, who married Betsey Fairfield, and settled 
in Fulton, in the State of New York, where he died Dec. 20, 
1851, and where his wife died Aug. 9, 1855, aged 85 years ; 
Robert, born Dec. 12, 1768, who married Mary Patterson, daugh- 
ter of Dea. Robert Patterson, and settled in the northern part 
of the town : he was, for many years, a deacon in the Presbyte- 
rian Church, and died April 21, 1830, aged 61 ; John, who 
lived on the homestead ; Jane, born July 27, 1772, married 
James Cochran, son of John Cochran, and settled near his fa- 
ther, on Cochran Hill, where Mr. Cudworth now lives, and died 
there ; James, born Sept. 28, 1774, who married Joanna Jones, 
daughter of Dr. Jones, of Lyndeborough, with whom he studied, 
commencing the practice of medicine in 1798, at Temple, re- 
moving to Francestown in 1820, where he continued until 1850, 
when he removed to Derry, where he died with his son James 
H. Crombie, M. D., 1853 ; Samuel, born Aug. 2, 1778, who 
married Mary Cooledge, and removed to Waterford, Me., where 
he practiced medicine until his death ; Letitia, born Jan. 15, 
1781 ; Clark, born in New Boston Sept. 14, 1784, who mar- 
ried Lucy, daughter of Daniel Dane, and settled near King's 
Mills, subsequently living where Mr. Prince now lives, and at 
present resides in South Reading, Mass., — his children are: 
Jane, James C, Daniel D., Sarah E., and Albert D. ; Jane be- 
came the wife of Butler Trull, of Goffstown, and died leaving 
five children; James C. married and resided in Lowell, Mass., 
where he died, leaving one child ; Daniel Dane married in 
Lowell, Mass., and has one child ; he is agent for the Everett 
Mills, Lawrence, Mass., a gentleman widely known for his in- 
tegrity of character and business capacity, as well as for his 



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i^U>i^C <^W??^. 




^Cg&nWtfS -'-'*■ 



375 



loyalty to his country and spirit of enterprise ; Sarah E. be- 
came the wife of John Ammidon, a merchant in Baltimore, 
Md., and has two children ; Albert D. married Miss Greenwood, 
of Nashua, and has one child ; he is a successful merchant in 
Baltimore, Md. 

Mr. James Crombie was a shoemaker, currier, and tanner, 
and was one of the most useful mechanics of his day ; generous 
in hospitality, high-minded and honorable in his dealings, social 
in his habits, diffusing happiness by his cheerful spirit and help- 
ing hand. His ready wit created mirth for the gloomy, and 
his christian fervor prompted to acts of piety. He was just the 
man for the time and the place into which Providence brought 
him. He died Jan. 7, 1814 ; and his wife, as good as himself, 
died May "25, 1815. 

John Crombie. — He was son of the foregoing James Crom- 
bie, born July 30, 1770, marrying Lydia Clark April 28, 1800, 
daughter of Ninian Clark, Esq. He lived with his father, and 
had for children: Ninian Clark, who was born Jan. 20, 1801, 
and married Rebecca Patten, of Derry, Oct. 29, 1829, and lives 
in New Boston, having for children : Nancy Moor, John Clark, 
Moses Colvard, Harriet Rebecca, and James Patten ; Mary 
Ramsey, who was born July 27, 1802, and married James 
Wilder, living and dying near the mills now owned by Mr. 
Hopkins, her children being : John Crombie, James Watter- 
man, and Charles Styles ; Jane, born Nov. 17, 1803, and died 
young ; Harriet, born April 26, 1806, who married William C. 
Cochran April 26, 1831, and died Aug. 16, 1839, leaving two 
sons, Thomas Ramsey and John Crombie, and two daughters, 
Lydia Clark and Margaret Anna ; Letitia, born Jan. 27, 1808, 
and died young ; Samuel Cooledge, born May 22, 1810, and 
was accidentally killed June 11, 1814; John, born Feb. !», 
1812, who married Eliza Patten, of Derry, April 26, 1828, 
lived in Nashua, and died Jan. 19, 1855, leaving five children : 
Harriet, Mary, Eliza, John, Lydia, and Frances Rebecca ; 
Samuel Cooledge, born April 20, 1814, who married Susan 
Choat, of Derry, Jan. 28, 1841, and now lives in Burlington, 
Vt., his wife dying March 19, 1857, their children being Mary 
Pinkerton, William Choat, Lydia, and Rufus ; Nancy Moor, 
born March 26, 1816, and died May 5, 1830 ; William Hamil- 



376 



ton, born Sept. 3, 1818, who married Adeline Cheney, of 
Deny, June 22, 1842, and lives in Davenport, Iowa, his chil- 
dren being Etta Yelora, Sophia Clark, Emma Frances, and 
Frank Hamilton. 

Mr. John Crombie was a house carpenter, learning the 
trade from Dr. Hugh McMillen. After his death, which oc- 
curred April 24, 1839, in the 69th year of his age, his affec- 
tionate pastor, the Rev. E. P. Bradford, wrote thus of him : — 
" Mr. John Crombie will long be remembered by a numerous 
circle of friends and acquaintances as a virtuous, intelligent, 
and useful member of society. Possessing a great share of 
that most valuable of intellectual properties, common sense, 
his inquiries were directed, from an early period of his life, 
chiefly to those subjects which are of practical importance to 
mankind. Though he had enjoyed the advantages of a com- 
mon education only, which were comparatively small in his 
childhood and youth, the inquisitive and discriminating char- 
acter of his mind led him to search diligently for general 
knowledge, of which he obtained a very valuable treasure. 
His sound judgment, combined with a generous and benevo- 
lent disposition, rendered this knowledge highly useful in its 
application to the important purposes of life. He was often 
called to assist in compromising difficulties between conflicting 
parties, who placed great confidence in his wisdom and impar- 
tiality. He always , manifested an enlightened regard for the 
institutions of revealed religion. He often expressed his con- 
viction of the need of the gospel in the prevalence of its 
spirit, in order to the happiness of human society. He be- 
lieved it also to be the grand instrument of preparing men for 
a better world. In consistency with these views, he ever 
took an active and liberal part in supporting it in the religious 
society of which he was a member, and in extending it to the 
destitute. Every enterprise which in his view was judiciously 
projected for advancing the public good, received his cheerful 
approbation and support. From the worldly substance which 
Divine Providence bestowed upon him, he was in the habit of 
distributing generous portions among the poor. His guests, 
whether relatives, acquaintances, or strangers, he treated with 
great hospitality and kindness. His house was the abode of 




TF" *N| 




,$v**" 



©a (g^®ra©OI n 




■/SBuiTa-d's JiOi. 



377 

domestic order, peace, and happiness. He was permitted to 
live with the wife of his youth nearly forty years, in bonds of 
the most affectionate mutual regards. As a mechanic, Mr. 
Crombie was skilful and enterprising, and characterized for 
his habitual and persevering industry to the last moment of 
his active life ; and many are the inhabitants of this region 
who, as they lie dovvn to rest at night, may feel indebted to it 
for ' a shelter to their heads.' Many the sanctuaries of the 
Lord, whose spires point to heaven, are the ' workmanship of 
his hands ; ' and while they remind us of the ' wise master- 
builder ' who laid his foundation there, should admonish us 
of the only ' pathway ' to a heaven of peace and rest. Mr. C. 
bore his last sickness, which was sometimes very distressing, 
with great patience and resignation to the will of God. He 
apparently enjoyed the unclouded exercise of his reason till 
within a few minutes of his death. He often expressed a hope 
of a blessed immortality only through the merits of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. He died, as he had lived many years, a member 
of the Presbyterian Church. His widow and children, who 
survive him, have experienced a heavy bereavement in his 
death. But their sorrows are alleviated by the belief that he 
has entered into everlasting rest." 

Mrs. Crombie, highly esteemed for her many excellences of 
character, which made her household the abode of domestic 
happiness, died May 9, 1849, aged 73. 

Lemuel Marden. — He was born Aug. 80, 1745, and came 
from Bradford, Mass., about 1786, where he married, in 1769, 
Hannah Greenough, born May 21, 1750, the youngest of six 
daughters ; she died Oct. 20, 1843, aged 73. He settled where 
the late Jonathan Marden lived, purchasing of Daniel Hardy, 
of Bradford. His children were Hannah, Greenough, Solo- 
mon, Nathan, Francis, Samuel, Mehitable, Jonathan, and 
Sarah. He died Jan. 9, 1819, aged 74. 

Greenough, his son, was born Oct. 17, 1772, and married 
Sybil, daughter of Benjamin Hardy, of Hancock, Oct. 10, 
1802, having learned the trade of a mason in Bradford, Mass. 
He bought the farm on which he now lives of Porter Sawyer, 
who bought of Nathaniel Fairfield, who bought of the heirs of 
Ralph Inman, one of the original proprietors of the town, liv- 

48 



378 

ing in Cambridge, Mass. Fairfield felled the first trees and 
erected the first cabin. Mr. Marden's children are : Lemuel, 
who married Clarissa M'Collom, and lives where William 
Campbell died ; Levi, John Langdon, Lyman, Cynthia, Sybil, 
Abigail, David, and William Greenough. Mr. Marden, though 
ninety-one years old Oct. 17, 1863, retains to a remarkable 
degree his mental faculties and physical energies, superin- 
tending a large farm, and transacting his business with great 
exactness. 

Jonathan Marden, a son of Lemuel, was born July 5, 1788, 
and married Sally Foster December 31, 1815. She was born 
at Ashby, Mass., February 8, 1763. .Their children are : Eliza- 
beth Foster, born February 6, 1817 ; John Foster, born July 6, 
1818 ; Jonathan, born September 26, 1820 ; Harriet Newell, 
born August 29, 1822; Alfred, born November 22, 1828; 
Charles, born July 21, 1830 ; and George Waterman, born Oc- 
tober 17, 1832. Elizabeth F. became the wife of Caleb Reid 
June 1, 1842, and removed to Beaver Dam, Wis., in 1855, 
where she died May 4, 1861, aged 44. John F. married 
Jerusha H. Adams, of Milton, Mass., and has four children; 
Harriet Newell married Frederic H. Ober, of Hopkinton, May 

29, 1845, and lived in Nashua. After his death she became 
the wife of George Hall, of Brookline ; Jonathan married Eliza 
Jane Norton, of Yermont, March 9, 1847, by whom he had one 
child. His second wife died in 1863. 

Alfred married Augusta H. Emerson, of Francestown, Dec. 

30, 1852, and lives in Beaver Dam, Wis., though now in the 
army of the Cumberland. He has one child. Charles married 
Harriet Butterfield, of Nashua, March 14, 1855, and lives at 
Beaver Dam, Wis., having two children. George Waterman 
married Abby M. Sawyer April 1, 1858, who soon died, and he 
married Asenath B. Hovey, of Peterborough, where he now 
resides. 

Samuel Marden. — He was the son of Solomon, born March 
24, 1775, who was the son of Lemuel Marden. He was born 
November 18, 1804. Phebe Noyes was- born November 3, 
1802. They were married July 1, 1828. Their children were : 
Mary, born April 20, 1829, died April 24, 1829 ; Lydia Maria, 
born July 31, 1830 ; Harriet Campbell, born April 6, 1832, 



379 



married George Hall, Jr., March 11, 1857, and now resides in 
Nashua ; Mehitable Jane, born April 10, 1834, died March 11, 
1854 ; James, born February 23, 1836, married H. Jennie 
Park May 19, 1863, now resides in Springfield, Mass. ; Henry, 
born December 9, 1837, graduated at Dartmouth College 1862 ; 
George, born August 26, 1839, married Sarah Lizzie Mansfield 
November 11, 1862, served in the Union Army, 16th Regiment 
N. H. V., from November 1862 to August 1863 ; Mary Ellen, 
born September 30, 1841 ; Lora Ann, born August 11, 1843 ; 
Samuel Lewis, born June 23, 1845. 

Benjamin Dodge. — He came from Beverly, Mass., marrying 
for his wife a Dodge. He " followed the seas " from his child- 
hood, and commanded a ship for many a year prior to his com- 
ing to New Boston, and for a long time after his family came 
here ; visiting almost every country on the globe. He settled 
where Mr. Irving now lives, some improvement having been 
made by a prior settler ; and was accustomed to entertain his 
family and neighbors with the narrative of his adventures 
whenever he visited his home. His children were Benjamin, 
Gideon, and Antipas. Antipas lived where his father died, in 
New Boston ; Gideon lived and died near his father's ; Ben- 
jamin was born April 13, 1758, in Beverly, Mass., and married, 
November 24, 1780, Eunice Boutwell, who was born November 
14, 1761, in Reading, Mass., and died November 21, 1811. 
His second wife was Widow Mudgett, of Weare, born August 17, 
1774, in Andover, Mass., to whom he was married March 15, 
1812 ; she died December 5, 1838. Mr. Dodge died January 
13, 1831. 

He first settled near the Rev. S. Moor, then in Sullivan, sub- 
sequently in Amherst, and finally in the northern part of New 
Boston, where he died. His children were : Elizabeth born 
January 13, 1783, who married Lieutenant Solomon Dodge 
May 25, 1805, and lived where Israel Dodge, her son, now lives, 
she died December 6, 1840 ; Lydia, born June 18, 1787, who 
married Samuel Gregg November 11, 1811, and lived in Deer- 
ing, she died November 8, 1826 ; Charlotte, born February 
23, 1790, who married James Boutwell December 20, 1810, 
and died January 17, 1844; two daughters dying young; 
Monice, born June 23, 1799, who married Mr. Samuel Dodge 



380 

February 6, 1817, and lives in New Boston ; Achsah born July 
6, 1802, who married Captain Rodney George, of "Windham, 
March 16, 1832, and now lives in Tewksbury, Mass ; Rebecca, 
born February 20, 1806, who married Jacob Bailey February 
6, 1825, and lived where John Lamson resides, but now lives a 
widow in Nashua, having a daughter who married William, son 
of Greenough Marden ; Sarah, born November 27, 1813, who 
married Captain Jonathan Gove Kelso, of New Boston, April 
11, 1837, and now lives in Charlestown, Mass. ; Mary W., born 
Sept. 4, 1816, who married David A. Kendall, of Mont Vernon, 
April 25, 1837, and died June 28, 1856, these last. two being 
the children of his second wife. Benjamin, born January 22, 
1777, remained on the homestead, marrying, November 22, 
1821, Mary, daughter of Dea. John Smith, of Francestown, 
whose children are : John Newton, who married Emma Jane 
Colburn July 1, 1858, and lives with his father; Persis Board- 
man, who married Robert Peaslee, of Weare, in 1846 ; Mary 
Jane, who married William Taylor in 1853, and resides in 
Medford, Mass. ; James Smith, who married Sarah Evelyn, 
daughter of Jesse Beard, and is a merchant in Andover, Mass. ; 
David Campbell died young ; Sarah Elizabeth, who died young ; 
and Sarah Nancy. 

Andrew Beard. — He came from the north of Ireland in 
1766, and stopped at Litchfield a few years, and then located 
himself where James Buxton lives, where he erected a house, 
at the raising of which a man was accidentally killed. He 
soon left this place, and permanently settled where Alfred N. 
Hardy now lives, that beautiful eminence long being known as 
" Beard's Hill." He died June 19, 1798, aged 88. His son 
Joseph, who was four years old when his father left Ireland, 
married Margaret McMillen, of Franceston, in 1784, and settled 
where his son Jesse now lives — a Mr. Mackintosh having com- 
menced a settlement there. The children of Joseph Beard 
were : Anna, yet living unmarried, retaining great vigor of mind ; 
Sarah, Jesse, James, now living in Vermont ; Lyclia, who mar- 
ried John Langdell ; Mary, who married John Stone, and lives 
in Vermont ; Joseph Goardly, who died young. His son Jesse 
succeeded his father on the homestead, marrying, November 23, 
1826, Elizabeth Sweetser, daughter of Benjamin Fairfield, Esq., 



381 



and their children were Cordelia Clark, Edwin, Joseph, Horace 
Philbrick, now a merchant in Andover, Mass., marrying in 
1862, Frances R. Shattuck, of Andover, Mass. ; Evelyn Sarah, 
who was married June 1, 1858, to James Smith Dodge, a mer- 
chant in Andover, Mass. ; Selwin Felt and Mary Josephine. 
Mr. Beard has buried all his children but the two living in An- 
dover. He has been a remarkably successful educator, com- 
mencing teaching in 1814, and ending in 1860, having taught 
67 terms, and having been a superintending school committee 
21 years ; taking great interest in vocal music, he has taught 
87 singing schools. Mr. Beard was born February 17, 1789, 
and though 71 years old, has kept pace with the world's prog- 
ress, and yet seems young, in sympathy with the young, and 
alive to every effort for their improvement. 

William, the oldest son of Andrew Beard, was born October 
20, 1751. His father it seems was a blacksmith, and was born 
in the county of Antrim in the year 1710. In 1749 he married 
Lydia Goardly, and when they came to New England they had 
four children ; two sons and two daughters. She excelled in 
the manufacture of linen cloth. 

In June, 1775, he was at work building a house for his father 
on their new farm, when the news came that the British were 
landing in Boston. With the leave of his father and mother 
he immediately repaired to Charlestown in defence of his coun- 
try, was at the battle of Bunker's Hill, and was one of the 
forty volunteers who brought some cattle across the neck, 
under a raking fire of the enemy, in order to prevent their 
capture. In 1777 he received an ensign's commission, and 
was one of the scouts that commenced the attack on the 
enemy at Bennington. He was in several engagements, but 
was never wounded. 

When he was done serving his country, he returned home 
and lived with his father on the farm. March 20, 1790, he 
married Jane Burns, of Bedford, by whom he had seven chil- 
dren, three sons and four daughters. They lived on the same 
farm till their death. 

Although entitled to a pension, he nobly refused to draw it. 
His death occurred Jan. 2, 1832 ; his wife died Feb. 9, 1830. 

Sally Beard, daughter of Andrew Beard, married George 
Robinson, of Tyngsborough ; both died young. 



382 



Lydia, daughter of Andrew Beard, married Leslie Gregg, 
of New Boston, had seven children, one son and six daughters, 
afterwards moved to Goffstown, where they both died. 

Rachel, the youngest daughter, married Thomas Christie, of 
New Boston, and moved to Hartland, Yt. ; had nine children, 
three sons and six daughters. 

Andrew Beard, the son of William Beard, was born Jan. 30, 
1791. In 1816 he married Elizabeth Cochran, daughter of 
Dea. Joseph Cochran, by whom he had three children. She 
died Jan. 11, 1826 ; he afterwards married Rachael Marshall, 
of Weare, and moved to Newport, N. H., and died March 30, 
1860, aged 69 years. 

John, son of the above-named Andrew Beard, was born Dec. 
16, 1817. Married Emily Marshall, of Unity, and now lives at 
Bock Island, 111. Margaret, the daughter of Andrew, married 
Hiram Angel, of Newport, and died, July 23, 1857 ; their son 
died in infancy. 

John, son of William Beard, was born May 5, 1793, died 
Sept. 25, 1807, aged 14 years. 

Sarah, daughter of William Beard, was born August 10, 
1795 ; Sept. 24, 1822, married Moody Marshall, of Weare, and 
had eight children, seven sons and one daughter. 

Jane, daughter, of Wm. Beard, was born March 8, 1802, 
and settled in New Boston, had five children. 

William, the son of William Beard, was born May 6, 1798. 
Nov. 8, 1825, married Eleanor McMillen, daughter of Dr. 
Hugh McMillen, of New Boston ; settled on a part of his 
father's farm called the Jordan Lot. He has six children, 
four sons and two daughters. 

Asa M., the son of William Beard, 2d, was born Nov. 8, 
1827. In 1850 he married Lucy J. Trull, of Goffstown ; has 
four children, and lives in New Boston. 

Ann Augusta, daughter of William Beard, 2d, was born 
May 18, 1829, and in 1858 married John Gilmore, of New- 
port ; has one child, and lives in New Boston. 

Sarah M., daughter of AVilliam Beard, was born Feb. 5, 
1836. In 1858 she went to Marshfield, Indiana, as a school- 
teacher ; January, 1862, married Levi M. Cronkhite, of that 
place, where she now lives. 



383 



Cornelius "VV., son of William Beard, was born Sept. 29, 
1840. Sept., 1861, he enlisted in a company of sharpshooters, 
was in several battles, received a severe wound at the battle 
of Antietam, and was killed in a skirmish with the rebels at 
Gettysburgh July 4, 1863, aged 22 years, 7 months, and 5 days, 
— a brave soldier and a pure patriot. 

James M. G. was born May 27, 1844 ; in 1862 he published 
an Almanac called the " New England Calendar, and Miscel- 
laneous Year Book." In March, 1863, he went to Indiana as 
a school teacher, in which business he is still engaged. 

Eliza and Louisa, twin daughters of William Beard, Sen., 
were born Feb. 15, 1806. Eliza married Jacob Bartell, of 
Lynn, had one child, and died in 1852, aged 47. Louisa mar- 
ried Hiram Campbell, of Bedford, settled in New Boston, had 
four children ; afterwards removed to Nashua, N. H., where' 
she died, in 1840, aged 43 years. 

William Kelso. — He was born in Londonderry, being the 
son of Alexander Kelso, whose wife was a Kelso, daughter of 
William Kelso. Alexander, with three brothers, came from the 
North of Ireland and settled in Londonderry, and died when 
William was fifteen years old ; and William came to New 
Boston about 1763, though his sister Margaret came some years 
earlier, being the wife of Capt. George Cristy, who settled 
where Dea. Sumner L. Cristy now lives. William married 
Agnes Kelso, and settled first where Leonard Merrill lives, 
and after clearing a few acres, sold to his brother Daniel, and 
then settled where Mr. Robert Kelso now lives, near Joe Eng- 
lish, buying of Eleazer Boyd, who cleared a few acres and 
reared a small house. Mr. Kelso had six children : Nancy 
Richards, who died Jan. 30, 1831, aged 50 ; Elizabeth, who 
died March 2, 1839, aged 60 ; Ann, who died Nov. 8, 1851, 
aged 81 ; John, who died March 2, 1850, aged 74 ; and William, 
born April 9, 1785. John (the son of William) succeeded 
his father on the homestead, and married Gizzy, the daughter 
of Dea. Robert Patterson, and his son Robert lives on the 
homestead, the boundaries of which have not been altered since 
Eleazer Boyd sold it to his grandfather William, though in all 
other respects it has been changed for the better. Mr. Robert 
Kelso, in 1841, married Juliana Perkins, of Windsor, their chil- 



384 



dren being Henry, Mary L., and Helen A. William, the 
youngest son of the elder William, and brother of the fore- 
going John, settled where he now lives, buying his farm fifty- 
three years ago of Mr. Clapp, who bought of Coburn, who 
bought of Sawyer, who had it of Archibald McAllister, the 
son of John, the first McAllister in New Boston. This Wil- 
liam married, in 1823, Susannah Coggin, of Mont Vernon, and 
their children are Susannah, Eliza, Catherine, William, who 
lives with his father, Alfred, and Nancy A. 

William Kelso, at the head of this sketch, died Jan. 19, 1823, 
aged 83 ; and his wife died April 7, 1825, aged 77. His 
brother Daniel lived on Leonard Merrill's farm, marrying Mary 
McAllister, daughter of John, having twelve children: Alex- 
ander, John, Ann, William, Daniel, Robert, Annanias, Eliza- 
beth, Thomas, Mary, David, and Jonathan Gove. 

Alexander was a physician, and was killed by the falling of 
a tree. Ann married Thomas White, son of Dea. Robert 
White, and lived in Vermont, he dying in Hopkinton, and she 
in Antrim. 

William lived in New York, died there, and left children. 

Daniel lived and died in Pennsylvania, and left children. 

Robert lived and died in Rising Sun, Indiana, and had chil- 
dren. 

Annanias has lived in Vermont, but now is in New Boston, 
and is the father of Jonathan Gove Kelso, of Charlestown, 
Mass. 

Elizabeth was Mrs. Parkinson, mother of Rev. Royal Parkin- 
son, of Randolph, Vt. Thomas died in Canterbury, on his way 
to Columbia, of spotted fever. Mary married Asa Dustin, and 
lived in Columbia, and died leaving one child, Daniel. David 
married Mary, daughter of Wm. Campbell, and for his second 
wife' he married widow Andrews, daughter of Dea. Joseph 
Cochran. Jonathan Gove married Letitia, daughter of James 
Cochran. 

Alexander, another brother of the first-named William 
settled where Mrs. Achsah Dodge now lives, marrying Nancy 
Guiness, of Amherst ; their children being Anna, Sally, and 
Catherine. 

John Kelso, son of Daniel, was born July 14, 1771 ; by 



385 



trade he was a clothier, and carried on the business for many 
years in New Boston. He married Dorcas Cleaves, of Mont 
Vernon. Their children are : John, who was born Nov. 1, 1804, 
married Susan Bradford, of Fitchburg, Mass., and has three 
children, "William, Marion, and John ; he resides in Benning- 
ton, Vt., and is a manufacturer of woollen goods. Augusta, 
born July 13, 1808, became the wife of Micah Lawrence, of 
Ashby, Mass., Feb. 15, 1834. Mr. Lawrence, in company with 
Waterman Burr, when he was a young man commenced trade 
in the Upper Village, subsequently continued the same busi- 
ness in the Lower Village, and in retired life is enjoying the 
fruits of his successful enterprise. Their children are : Helen, 
who became the wife of Charles A. Wood, Esq., Sept. 27, 1863. 
Mr. Wood is a native of Hancock, N. H., and now a success- 
ful lawyer in Madison, Wisconsin ; he served as Lieut. Col. 
over two years and was at the siege of Vicksburg ; immediate- 
ly after his marriage he sailed for a tour of Europe. Sarah 
became the wife of Charles H. Bixby Sept. 16, 1862. Mr. 
Bixby is son of Levi Bixby, formerly of Francestown, and late of 
Surinam, South America ; he graduated at Williams College in 
1858, and soon after, went to Europe, and studied the modern 
languages in France and Germany ; immediately after his mar- 
riage he, in company with his wife, sailed again for Europe, 
spending nearly two years in Germany, France, and Italy. 
George 0., born July 27, 1841, became connected with the 
Naval Department of the West in Oct., 1862, and now holds 
an important position in the Medical Department. Eliza C. 
was born Nov. 15, 1843. John K. was born Nov. 13, 1847. 

David, son of John Kelso, born Aug. 25, 1814, is a mason 
by trade, and resides in New Boston. Sarah was born Aug. 20, 
1816, became the wife of Neil McLane, Esq., Aug. 14, 1849, re- 
sides in New Boston, and has one daughter, Marion A., born 
May 24, 1854. Adeline, born Jan. 20, 1819, became the wife of 
Joseph Warren in 1844, and resides in New Boston ; her chil- 
dren are H. Frank, John K., and Emma ; Frank enlisted in 
1862, in the 13th Regt. N. H. V., and has proved a brave and 
valiant soldier, shrinking from no danger and complaining of 
no hardships. 

49 



386 



John McAllister. — He came from the North of Ireland, 
and settled where William Kelso now lives, about 1748. He 
married in Ireland, and had one son four years old, whom he left, 
and a daughter, named Mary, was born during the passage 
across the ocean, and married Daniel Kelso, whose son John 
was the father of the present David Kelso, Mrs. Micah Law- 
rance, Mrs. Neil, McLane, and others. She was an excellent 
woman, and a great help to those who early settled in the 
neighborhood of Joe English. She was witty, and loved to 
make all around her happy. The Eev. Mr. Moor when he 
first visited her, inquired of her if she were born in Ireland. 
" No, indade, I was not," was the reply. " Were you born in 
England ? " inquired he. " No, indade, I was not, sir." 
" Then you must have been born in America ? " " An' I was 
not born in America, neither, sir." " Then where upon 'arth 
were you born ? " " An' indade, sir, I was not born on the 
'arth at all, sir." As Mr. Moor was a man of great good na- 
ture, and loved a joke as well as any of his parishoners, the 
mystery was satisfactorily explained. 

Mr. McAllister had three sons : Archibald, who was born in 
Ireland, Agnus and Daniel. Archibald lived on the homestead 
at first, then moved to Francestown, where he died. Agnus 
settled where James Dexter now lives, near the late Dea. Peter 
McNeil's ; subsequently he moved to Pequawkett, an Indian 
name applied to a considerable tract of country now includ- 
ing Conway, N. H., Fryeburgh, Me., and some of the adjacent 
towns. Here he died some years since. Daniel settled near 
his father, and sold his farm to the father of the present Capt. 
John Lamson, and moved to New Brunswick on the Passama- 
quoddy Bay, where he died. 

Tolm McAllister was an early proprietor, and had a fine tract 
of ±and. He was a man of great energy of character, and was en- 
trusted with various offices in the town, and took great interest 
in its settlement, and the permanent establishment of the institu- 
tions of religion. When an old man he removed, with his son 
Archibald, to Francestown, where he died in a good old age. 
It is related as a singular coincidence that his daughter Mary, 
who married Daniel Kelso, had twelve children, nine sons and 
three daughters, while Archibald, her brother, had twelve chil- 
dren, but nine of them were daughters and three were sons. 



387 



Dea. Robert White. — He settled on the height of land now- 
owned by Abram Wason. He was among the earliest set- 
tlers in the vicinity of Joe English, and took an active part in 
the settlement of Mr. Moor. His wife, Mary, is remembered 
as an excellent woman. Mr. White was one of the earliest 
elders in the Presbyterian Church, associated with Archibald 
McMillen, John Smith, Thomas Cochran, William Moor, James 
Ferson, and William McNeil, in the Session. His children 
were: Andrew, born Jan. 20, 1759 ; Jane, born May 2, 1761, 
who married a Mr. Willson ; William ; Robert, born Feb. 25, 
1766 ; Thomas, born July 11, 1773, who married Ann, daugh- 
ter of Daniel Kelso, and lived in Tunbridge, Vt. ; Solomon, 
William, and John Craige. Dea. White sold his farm to John 
Lamson, and tended John McLaughlen's grain-mill for many 
years; subsequently he removed to Goffstown, tending a mill 
there, whore he died in 1809. Dea. White was a good man, 
and highly esteemed by his contemporaries. Mr. Lamson, who 
bought his farm, carried on the business of a tanner and cur- 
rier ; he kept a store in a part of his house, also a tavern. 

Willsons. — Three brothers, sons of Robert Willson, came 
from Londonderry, and settled on an elevated tract of land in 
the east part of the town now called Willson's Hill, but for a 
long time called Egypt, because during years of scarcity corn 
could always be had of the Willsons, whose lands were very 
productive, and they had more pecuniary means than most of 
the early settlers. Thomas Willson settled the farm just east 
of Almus Warren's, which is now owned by John B. Warren ; 
James settled northeast of his brother Thomas's farm, where 
Robert Crombie lately lived ; and Alexander settled near his 
brother James, on land now owned by Micah Lawrance ; David 
was the son of Thomas, and lived where Almus Warren 
now lives, one of whose daughters became the wife of od- 
ney McCollom, and another of John B. Warren. James Will- 
son, Esq., who lived where Peter Jones now resides, was another 
son of Thomas, marrying a daughter of Dea. Jesse Cristy ; his 
other children were Elizabeth, Alexander, Robert, David, and 
Jane. The children of James (the first James) were Robert, 
James, David, Molly, John, Samuel, Hugh, Jane, and Marga- 
ret, who became the wife of William Batchelder Dodge, and 



388 



was the mother of Mrs. Solomon Dodge, and of the first wife 
of Jacob Richards, Esq., also of the wife of James Cristy, now 
living in New York ; Alexander (the first) had a son Alexander, 
also a son William, who graduated at Dartmouth College in the 
Class of 1797, studied law, and went to Ohio, where he was 
made Judge and elected a member of Congress, and died while 
returning home from Washington. He was a man of fine tal- 
ents and great energy. 

Robert Willson, who settled in the northeast part of the 
town, near the Plains, was a distinct branch of the Willsons, 
known as the " Black North Willsons," while the others were 
called " Curly Willsons." 

Dea. William McNeil. — He was born March 28, 1746, in 
the town of Bellemoony and County of Antrim, Ireland, being 
the son of Abraham and Jane. He came to this country with 
his parents in 1750, and settled at what was then called Derry- 
field, now Manchester. His father died in 1752, and he came 
to New Boston in 1765, accompanied by his mother and two sis- 
ters, and settled on a fifty-acre lot of wild land on the south 
side of Joe English. He married, Dec. 15, 1774, on her 22d 
birthday, Rachel Patterson, daughter of Peter Patterson, of Lon- 
donderry. Their children were : James, born June 1, 1776 ; 
Jane, May 26, 1778 ; Grissel, April 6, 1780 ; Abraham, July 
24, 1782 ; Rachel, Oct. 26, 1784 ; Peter, Dec. 5, 1786 ; John, 
Nov. 14, 1788 ; Betsey, Sept. 26, 1790 ; Sally, Sept. 5, 1793 ; 
Jennette, Eeb. 4, 1796. Three 'feons and three daughters grew 
up, and the remainder died young. Abraham lived in Antrim 
for many years, subsequently in Lowell, Mass., where he died ; 
Peter lived with his parents on the homestead, and married 
Mary Stiles, of Amherst, Sept. 23, 1818, by whom he had eleven 
children, six daughters and five sons — Mary Jane, H. Elizabeth, 
William, C. Granville, John, James, Rachel Patterson, Abby 
Stiles, Peter Patterson, Harriet Newell, and Lydia Shaw ; Mary 
Jane married N. Farnum, of Francestown, having had one child, 
Nahum Hardy, deceased ; H. Elizabeth married Fuller R. Tal- 
bot, and lives in Lacy, Iowa, and has seven children — James F., 
Mary E., John, Hardy F., George, Abby J., Albert S. ; William 
married Sarah Barnes, of Hillsborough, and lives in Clarence, 
Iowa, and has five children — Scott, Kate, Frank, Fred, Dora ; 



C. Granville married Martha A. Holt, of Andover, Mass., and 
lives in Tipton, Iowa, and has seven children — Charlotte E., 
Abby M., Sarah E., George Granville, Elbridge G., Claria Jane, 
and Peter Patterson ; he holds the office of deacon, and is a 
man of much activity and usefulness in the church of Christ ; 
John married Mary L. Pratt, of Chelsea, Mass., where he re- 
sides, having four children — Annie C, Mary Alice, Caleb H., 
and Hattie C. ; James married Jane Willson, of Factory ville, Pa., 
and lives in Bates County, Mo., and has four children — Abby 
Jane, John, Willson, and Thomas S. ; Rachel P. married Capt. 
James M. Tuttle, and lives in New Boston, having two children 
— James P. and Granville J. ; Abby S. died at the age of 19 ; 
Peter Patterson married Sarah Elston, and lives in Elston, 
Missouri, having three children — Mary, Abby, Hattie N., and 
Arthur, who was chosen deacon in the Presbyterian Church in 
1828, and died February 15, 1849, aged 62 ; John lived in 
the south part of Antrim, and died there ; Jane married Abra- 
ham Smith, of Nottingham West (now Hudson), where she 
died, having had twelve children ; Grissel died unmarried, 
aged 55 ; Betsey was married to John Burns, a jeweller, of 
Milford, Nov. 25, 1817, by whom she had no children, and 
was, after Mr. Burns's death, married to Piam Orne Oct. 31, 

1822, and their children were: Joseph Milton, born Sept. 11, 

1823, who married Climena Bartlett, and lives where his father 
died, July 30, 1843 ; William, born Oct. 8, 1825, who married 
Almeda Bartlett, and lives on the farm settled by Ninian Clark, 
Esq. ; and Sarah Elizabeth, born Sept. 28, 1828, and died Oct. 
14, 1846. Mrs. Orne yet lives, possessed of great activity both 
of body and mind, for one aged 73. Dea. William McNeill was 
a noble man, calm, dignified, yet genial and affectionate. As 
a christian he was exemplary and devout, cherishing large 
charity, and always ready for every good work. He sustained 
his pastor by all the influence he could exert, and sought to 
strengthen the things that remained. He successfully reared 
his family, and left his posterity an example which they can 
safely follow. When he died, devout men and women made 
great lamentation over him, because they had lost from the 
church a man of faith and prayer. His decease transpired 
Jan. 15, 1823, when in his 77th year. His widow survived 



390 



until April 20, 1837, attaining the good old age of 84, exerting 
a blessed influence while living, and in dying left assurance that 
a life full of good works and kindly endeavors shall end with 
the comforts of hope and glimpses of celestial light. 

Dea. Robert Patterson. — He was born in Londonderry, 
being son of Peter Patterson, and brother of the wife of Dea. 
William McNeil. He settled where Allen Leach, his grandson, 
lives, marrying Susanna Miller, of Londonderry. Their chil- 
dren were seven, three sons and four daughters ; the oldest son 
died young, and the oldest daughter, Mary, married Robert 
Crombie, afterwards deacon of the Presbyterian Church, and 
lived in the wet-.t part of the town ; Rachel married Joseph 
Leach, and lived in the eastern part of New Boston ; Gizzel 
married John Kelso, father of the present Robert Kelso ; Jane 
married William Mackintosh, and lives in Bethel, Vt. ; Samuel 
went into Pennsylvania, where he married, and has seven chil- 
dren ; and John died unmarried. Dea. Patterson was an ex- 
cellent man, being chosen deacon before Mr. Moore's death, and 
serving many years during the pastorate of Mr. Bradford. He 
was exact in his notions, and slow to conform to new customs, 
yet was a man in whom there was no guile. He died in 1828, 
greatly lamented. 

Dea. Robert Wason. — He was born in Nottingham West, 
now Hudson, June 14, 1781, being the son of Thomas Wason ; 
his mother was Mary Boyd, of Londonderry. He came to 
New Boston April, 1803, to live with Robert Boyd, his uncle, 
who settled on Lot No. 30, near Joe English, being then ad- 
vanced in years. He was married Dec. 26, 1808, by Rev. Mr. 
Bruce, to Nancy, daughter of John Batchelder, of Mont 
Vernon, born Oct. 13, 1789 ; their children are Elbridge, 
Louisa, Hiram, Nancy, Mary, Robert Boyd, Adeline, Caroline, 
and George Austin. Elbridge married Mary Stickney, of 
Boston, April 24, 1851, who died Aug. 15, 1863, and he has 
his residence in Brookline, Mass., and is of the firm Wason, 
Pierce & Co., in Boston. Hiram graduated in 1838, at Am- 
herst College, studied theology at New Haven, Ct., married, 
Oct., 1844, Betsey R. Abbot, daughter of Timothy Abbot, Esq., 
of Wilton, went to Indiana, in which State he still resides at 
West Creek, Lake County. Mary married Nathaniel Carr 




■JBBuTford's lath 



e/A^*- ^2 



391 



Nov. 13, 1850, and lives in Boston, Mr. Carr belonging to the 
firm of Dexter, Robie & Co. Robert Boyd resides in Boston, 
and is with his brother Elbridge, one of the same firm. Ade- 
line married John Batchelder Sept. 5, 1843, and lives in 
Sprague, Conn., their children being Emma, Louisa, and 
Herman. M. Batchelder is the inventor of a sewing-machine, 
and was the first to devise the most essential and practical 
parts of all sewing-machines in this country. He is also the 
inventor of a machine for stamping bags, etc., which is of great 
utility. Austin inherits the homestead, and is a progressive 
farmer; he married Clara L., daughter of Mr. Sidney Hills, 
Sept. 17, 1863. Caroline, who had been a teacher for many 
years in Boston, died June 23, 1864, greatly beloved, useful in 
life and happy in death. 

Deacon Wason reared a highly interesting family, none of 
whom has forsaken the faith or rejected the principles that 
characterized the worthy men of earlier clays. He was social 
and affectionate, and always aimed to cultivate the intellect 
and improve the heart of his children. He united with the 
Presbyterian Church in 1815, and a few years after was elected 
an elder, which office he held at his death. Dea. Wason was 
a man of great energy, and entered with zeal upon every en- 
terprise adapted to benefit the church or the community, so 
that he was a " doer of the word " as well as a hearer; and 
when he died, Aug. 7, 1844, aged 63, his death was greatly 
lamented, and the loss of his influence was seriously felt. His 
venerable widow, enjoying a peaceful home and the affection- 
ate ministrations of her children, survived until July 28, 1863, 
having been a faithful mother and a sincere christian. 

Dea. Archibald McMillen. — He came to this town as 
early as 1756, and settled on the south of Joe English. He 
was elected a deacon in the Presbyterian Church as early as 
1768. He was chosen to represent New Boston and Frances- 
town in 1777, at Exeter, in the General Court ; also at Con- 
cord in 1778, and was chosen Moderator at a meeting of the 
town Dec. 4, 1780. He served in the war of the Revolution 
at different times, and was at the battle of Lexington. He 
subsequently went into New York on business and died ere he 
could return. He had children, among whom was a son, 



392 

Hugh, who was born April 26, 1763, and married Eunice , 

who was born Jan. 19, 1761, and their childron were : Archi- 
bald, born Dec. 24, 1787 ; Aaron, Hannah, Abraham, Mary, 
Eunice, Mercy, Asa, Betsey, Andrew, Elenor, and Abner, born 
Aug. 17, 1804. 

This Hugh was an excellent house carpenter ; he was eccen- 
tric in character. He obtained access to some old medical 
books of Dr. Codman, at Amherst, and from them learned to 
compound certain medicines which effected some marked 
cures, gained for him some celebrity, and secured for him the 
popular title of doctor. He gained some knowledge of chem- 
istry, and acquired the art of converting the softer metals into 
shining silver coin. His laboratory was an object of great in- 
terest, where for some time he drove a brisk business. His 
son Abraham succeeded him in the compounding and use of 
his medicines. 

Dea. Thomas Cochran. — He was grandson of the first 
Dea. Thomas, and son of James, who was killed by being 
thrown from a vicious horse. Dea. Thomas came into posses- 
sion of the farm on which his grandfather settled. He was 
born March 25, 1759, and married Margaret Ramsey, of Lon- 
donderry, April 13, 1784 ; she was born Dec. 29, 1762, and 
died July 21, 1829, aged 66 ; and he died Dec. 30, 1852, aged 
94. Their children were : James, born Dec. 4, 1785 ; Mary 
C, born April 24, 1793 ; Nancy, born Nov. 16, 1797 ; Lydia, 
March 15, 1788 ; Anna, July 1, 1795 ; Letitia, Nov. 13, 1799 ; 
William C, June 3, 1802 ; and Margaret R., Sept. 23, 1804. 
James married Abigail Buxton, daughter of Capt. Benjamin 
Buxton, May 26, 1815. She was born Oct. 8, 1796. They 
lived on the homestead with his parents. Their children were 
eight : Edward Buxton, the first born, married, in 1852, Clara 
Bonham, of Michigan, where he now lives ; Mary Flint mar- 
ried, Dec. 31, 1851, Mr. Charles G-. B. Ryder, of Dunbarton, 
and their children are Charles Ellenwood and Bayard Cochran ; 
Sylvester lives in Sandstone, Mich. ; Charlotte Abigail married 
John C. Carroll in 1863, and they live in Jackson, Mich. ; 
James Richmond was born Sept. 9, 1832, graduated at the 
Scientific Department of Dartmouth College in 1856, and was 
shot dead Nov., 1861, in Missouri, in the street, by one An- 



393 

drew Burritt, because he would not swear allegiance to the 
Southern Confederacy. The miserable traitor has since died 
in the rebel army. The rest of Mr. James Cochran's children 
died young. He died of consumption May 2, 1849, and his 
wife, of the same disease, died Aug. 28, 1850. 

William C. married Harriet, daughter of John Crombie, for 
his first wife ; and their children were John C, Thomas Ram- 
sey, and Lydia C. ; for his second, he married Ann Clark ; and 
their children are Mary Abbie and Margaret Ann. Deacon 
Cochran's children are all dead but William C, residing near 
the Presbyterian Church. 

Dea. Cochran was highly esteemed as a citizen, being a kind 
neighbor and upright in all his ways. As a christian his influ- 
ence was always good, and as an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church he magnified his office ; he died as if falling into a 
gentle repose, as some of his children had who preceded, and 
as those have who succeeded him. The peacefulness of his 
life and the guilelessness of his heart made him deserving of 
high commendation, and his death was greatly lamented. 

Lieut. Solomon Dodge. — He was born in Andover, Mass., 
Aug. 13, 1747, and died May 8, 1799. His wife was Sarah 
Dodge, born Aug. 20, 1752, to whom he was married Jan. 23, 
1772. She died Dec. 23, 1845. He settled where his grand- 
son, Israel, now lives, coming here when a young man, and 
performing his appropriate part in the settlement of this new 
region. He seems to have been a man of much energy, and 
highly esteemed for his manly virtues. His children that came 
to maturity were : Amos, who settled in Johnson, Vt. ; Solo- 
mon, who remained on the homestead ; Hannah, born Sept. 
13, 1779, who married Dr. John Whipple, of New Boston, and 
who now, a venerable widow, enjoys great vigor of body and 
mind, living to do good, and is loved as a mother by all who 
know her ; Daniel, who settled in Johnson, Vt. ; Sally, who 
became the wife of Jacob Hooper, Jr. ; Alice, who became the 
wife of Thomas Hooper, and lived in Johnson, Vt. ; Phineas, 
who was bora Oct. 30, 1793, and is now living in New Boston ; 
and Aaron, who married Lydia Irwin, and lived in Johnson, 
Vt., dying March 18, 1862, aged 64 years. 

50 



394 



Dea. Solomon Dodge. — He was the son of the foregoing, 
born August 1, 1777, and died March 16, 1853 ; May 25, 1805, 
he married Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Dodge,- who was 
born January 13, 1783, and died December 6, 1840, — their 
children were : Lydia, who became the wife of Rev. John 
At wood, of New Boston ; Solomon, who lives near the old 
homestead and married Mary, widow of Charles Buxton, and 
daughter of Jacob B. Dodge ; Sarah, who became the wife of 
Phillip F. Pettee, of Goffstown, and died May 5, 1859 ; Amos, 
a successful merchant in Concord, who married Emily Everett, 
of New London ; Benjamin, who died, unmarried, October 10, 
1852, aged 34 ; Israel, who married Priscilla, daughter of 
Israel Andrews, and lives on the homestead ; and Ann E., who 
became the wife of Isaac Manning, of Johnson, Vt., and died 
in 1848. 

Dea. Dodge was a genial, large-minded man, upright in his 
conduct, commanding the confidence of all. He was a Deacon 
in the Baptist Church for many years, and by his ardent piety 
and consistent life gave great strength to that body. He suc- 
cessfully reared a large family, and is remembered with venera- 
tion by all his children, and his name is fragrant in all the 
church. October 31, 1829, his dwelling and other buildings 
were all consumed by fire ; and the good man bowed without 
a murmur beneath the stroke, and gave God glory in the midst 
of his affliction. 

Solomon, son of Dea. S. Dodge, was born February 27, 1808, 
and married Mrs. Mary Buxton March 14, 1834. Their chil- 
dren are : Margaret Elizabeth, born March 5, 1835, and who 
died an infant ; Solomon, born May 28, 1836 ; Charles Franklin, 
born July 2, 1838 ; William Bachelder, born April 22, 1840 ; 
Julian Percival, born September 29, 1842 ; Edward Buxton, 
born April 8, 1845; and Albert Ernest, born August 26, 1848. 

Solomon married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain John Cristy, 
August 9, 1862. He enlisted August 12, 1862, for three years 
in the Company P. 9th Regiment N. H. Volunteers, and his 
brother William is in the same regiment. Julian enlisted Oct. 
1862, in the second regiment of Berdan's Sharpshooters, under 
the lamented and greatly beloved Capt. Henry M. Caldwell, of 
Dumbarton. 




. • 






395 

m 

Mrs. Dodge, wife of Solomon Dodge, Sen., was the widow of 
Charles Buxton, to whom she was married April 5, 1820. She 
was born February 20, 1803, and their children were : Charles 
Franklin, born October 26, 1821, died June 20,1823; Mar- 
garet, born October 14, 1823, died January 14, 1827 ; Eliza 
Jane, born December 14, 1826, became the wife of Robert M. 
Gregg December, 1850. 

Mr. Buxton died March 25, 1834, aged 40. 

Luther Richards. — He was born in Sharon, Mass., Nov. 
23, 1774 ; his father and grandfather were each named Wil- 
liam ; his mother was Joanna Cummings. Mr. Richards's 
father had seven sons : William, Jeremy, John, Oliver, Luther, 
Samuel, and Solomon ; and three daughters : Susan, who mar- 
ried Elijah Briggs ; Anna, who married Mr. Leonard ; and 
Sally, who became the wife of Samuel Waters. All the sons 
were married and left large families of children, and all are 
dead but Samuel, who lives in Winthrop, Me. 

At the age of fifteen Luther came with Mr. Waters to New 
Boston, and with him learned the tanner's trade. At the age 
of twenty-one he went to Weare, and subsequently to Hopkin- 
ton. But about 1798 he purchased the farm on which he 
resided until his death, and where he prosecuted the business 
of tanning. 

In 1799 he married Mary, daughter of Jacob Hooper. They 
had eight children : Luther, who died unmarried ; Ruthey W., 
who became the wife of Dr. Samuel Gregg, now of Boston. 
She died in 1853, leaving five children ; Martha D., who mar- 
ried a Mr. Tileston ; Carrie A., who married a Mr. Stockbridge ; 
Anna S., who married a Mr. Howard; Abby T., who became 
the wife of a Mr. Wooster, and Josephine M. ; Jacob Hooper,* 
who remains on the homestead, was born August 17, 1804 ; he 
married for his first wife, December 25, 1829, Asenath, daughter 

* Mr. Richards, since the writing of this sketch, has died. His death oc- 
curred March 11, 1864, at the age of 59. Captain Richards's life was re- 
markably free from faults; upright in all his dealings, fond of society, greatly 
beloved by his family, and respected by the community, he will long live in 
their recollection, while the Presbyterian Church and congregation will long 
deplore his removal, as a kind, judicious, and faithful chorister for more than 
thirty years. 



396 



of William B. Dodge, by whom he had three children, Margaret 
A., who became the wife of Dr. Atwood, and died in Virginia ; 
Evelyn M. and Frank S. ; he married April 19, 1847, for his 
second wife, Nancy B., daughter of Ezra Dodge, of Beverly, 
Mass., by whom he has two children, Mary Eliza, and Frances 
Dodge ; Samuel Wardsworth, who died young ; Nancy P., who 
died unmarried ; Mary Anna, who became the wife of Robert 
Fulton, now living in Bedford, whose children are Lyman 
Hahneman, Luther Herbert, and Samuel Wardsworth ; Joanna 
Cummings, who married Nehemiah Trull, and died in Canter- 
bury in 1848, leaving one daughter, Abby Joanna ; Abby 
Hooper, who became the wife of Samuel G. Waters, and lives 
in Johnson, Yt., their children being Samuel H., Luther R., 
Wardsworth F., Ruthey G., and Mary A. 

Mr. Richards, at the age of thirty, was thrown from a horse, 
and by this and other casualties was crippled for life, yet his 
indomitable energy overcame obstacles to which many would 
have yielded. Few men could accomplish more than he, in 
spite of great physical sufferings. Exact and scrupulously 
just in his transactions, he secured the confidence of others, 
and died September 22, 1857, aged nearly 85 years, greatly 
respected and sincerely lamented ; his mental powers being but 
little impaired, and a delightful christian peace continuing 
until the last. 

Mrs. Richards died March 3, 1847 ; and Jacob H. Richards's 
first wife died December 12, 1846. 

John Dodge. — He came to New Boston in 1815, from Ham- 
ilton, Mass. His wife was Mary Dodge, of Wenham, Mass. 
He bought of Stephen Ferson the farm formerly owned by 
Paul Ferson, son of Dea. James Ferson. Mr. Dodge's children 
were John, Israel, Mary, Joseph, and Elizabeth. 

John now lives on the homestead, his wife was Polly Dodge, 
of Hamilton, Mass., by whom he has three children : Joseph A., 
now of Plymouth, superintendent of the Concord and Montreal 
Railroad, marrying Mary Tewksbury, and having two children, 
Lizzie and John ; Mary Ann, now the wife of John S. Edwards, 
having two children, Andrew D., and Eugene ; Casandana. 
Mr. Dodge's second wife was Mary T. Lovett, of Beverly, Mass., 
by whom he has five children : S. Emiline, now the wife of 



397 



Miles Taylor, of Lake Village ; Israel T., now living in Lafay- 
ette, Indiana, marrying Julia M. Allen, of Woburn, Mass., and 
having one daughter, May ; John, who died young ; Eben, 
who married Fannie, daughter of Dea. Livemore Langdell, and 
lives with his father ; and Andrew, unmarried, living in 
Indiana. 

Israel lived where Eben Bartlett now lives, and died in 
1852 ; Mary married Jonathan Dodge, and lives in the west 
part of the town, her children being Elizabeth, Alva, Lydia, 
Josephine, John E., and Daniel L. ; Joseph died young; Eliza- 
beth became the wife of Joseph B. Cochran, son of Dea. Joseph 
Cochran, and lived with his father ; her second husband was 
Nathaniel Whiting, of Francestown, her children being Sarah, 
Josephine, and Harvey. 

Isaac Peabody. — His great-grandfather's name was Francis, 
and he came to this country in 1835 from Wales, England, set- 
tling in Topsfield, Mass., where he erected mills which have 
been in the possession of his descendants until now. 

Mr. Francis Peabody was born in Topsfield, Mass., September 
30, 1747, and came to New Boston in 1783. He purchased a 
farm of Robert Patterson, now known as the "Town Farm." 
He died May 13, 1826. He had eight children, six sons and 
two daughters, viz. : Lydia, Nathaniel, Isaac, Moses, John, 
Mary, Ezekiel, and Francis. Lydia was born October 5, 1772, 
married Thomas Willson, and lived in the east part of the 
town, and died June 18, 1839, leaving no children. (For 
Nathaniel, see Sketches of Physicians.} Isaac was born Nov. 
28, 1775, married Mary, daughter of Jacob Dodge, and lived 
on the homestead. He was elected an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church, and died January 23, 1832. He had children : John, 
who lives in Antrim ; Hannah, who married Nathaniel Coggin ; 
Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Hursey, of Croyden ; Daniel, who 
died in Hooksett ; and Isaac, who lives in Lowell, Mass. 

Moses was born Dec. 22, 1778, and died Aug. 1, 1858. He 
married Elizabeth, daughter of James Cochran, and lived in 
New Boston. His children are : Ezekiel Cummings, Horace, 
who died in 1855 ; William Wason, who died in Salem, Mass., 
in 1851 ; Elizabeth Ann, who married Isaac Newton Fitz, of 
Lowell, Mass., and died Oct. 17, 1845 ; Mary Potter, who mar- 



398 



ried Samuel Bellows, and died in Boston, July 1, 1839 ; 
Martha Jane, who died March 3, 1831, aged 13 ; James Coch- 
ran, who married Caroline Gibson, of Ashbnrnham, and died 
Sept. 13, 1847, aged 28 ; Harriet Newell, who was born Feb. 
25, 1823, and became the second wife of Mr. Fitz, the husband 
of her deceased sister, and lives in Lowell, having two chil- 
dren, Frank Eugene, and Willie Fremont. 

John, was born Jan. 16, 1781, and died Aug. 15, 1821, in 
Batavia, India. He married Elizabeth Manning, of Salem, 
Mass., in 1808, by whom he had three children. Commencing 
as a merchant in Salem, he soon entered upon a seafaring life. 
In 1813 he attempted to reach St. Domingo with a loaded ves- 
sel, and was captured by a British vessel, and was released in 
1814. Having commanded several vessels bound to India, his 
last voyage was undertaken with enfeebled health in 1821, he 
reached Batavia, and died Aug. 15, 1821. He was a man of 
strict business habits, and of great integrity, and died sustained 
by faith in Jesus Christ. His daughter Elizabeth married a 
Rev. Mr. Elevenworth in 1813, and went to North Carolina, 
subsequently removed to Petersburg, Virginia, where he be- 
came a slaveholder, and there she died, leaving several chil- 
dren. The wife of Capt. John Peabody died in 1846, aged 57. 

Mary married John P. Chapman, of Windsor, April 18, 
1810 ; he died March 22, 1815, leaving three children. She is 
still living, at the age of 80, with her brother Francis, in Am- 
herst. 

Francis was born Feb. 6, 1793, and married Lydia Peabody, 
of Topsfield, Mass., who was born Jan. 12, 1797, on the 23d 
of Dec, 1819. His children (all born in New Boston) are : 
Aaron Francis, born Jan. 2, 1821, married Paulina A. Nettle- 
ton, of New York, July 24, 1849, and moved to Fond Du Lac, 
Wisconsin, in 1851 ; John, born Jan. 17, 1822, and died Nov. 
30, 1824; Ann Maria, born May 22, 1824, married Rev. 
Charles Seccumb, of Salem, Mass., Aug. 4, 1850, who was or- 
dained Aug. 8, 1850, as a Home Missionary, and went to St. 
Anthony, Min., the same year, and became pastor of the first 
Congregational Church formed in that State, and here his wife 
died Feb. 28, 1853 ; John, born Nov. 9, 1827, married Fannie 
E. Sargent, of Milford, March 22, 1859, and lives in Brook- 



399 

line, being elected a Deacon in the Congregational Church in 
that place in 1860 ; Lydia E., born Sept. 7, 1829 ; David, born 
Dec. 17, 1831, and married Lucy D. Tolman, of Wilmington, 
Mass., and moved to St. Anthony, Min., having had two chil- 
den: Francis, born Oct. 13, 1860, and Charles W., born May 
17, 1862, and died Aug. 10, 1863 ; Margaret Brigham, born 
April 23, 1837; George Wellington, born Oct. 11, 1838; 
Daniel Augustine, born June 29, 1842, enlisted Oct., 1861, in 
the Fifth New Hampshire Regiment, Co. I, was in the battle 
of Fair Oaks, returned home Oct. 2, 1862, an invalid, and is 
now on the pension list (1864). 

Mr. Francis Peabody removed to Amherst in 1846, where 
he now resides, waiting for " the rest that remaineth for the 
people of God," surrounded by christian children. 

David Colburn, son of Ephraim Colburn, removed from Ded- 
ham, Mass., to New Boston in the year 1795. He settled in 
the westerly part of the town, upon the farm formerly owned 
by Capt. Burns, where he remained until his death. He was 
succeeded by his son Ephraim, who owned, and with the ex- 
ception of a few years, lived upon the farm during his life. 
At the time of his death it was in possession of his son Luther, 
the present owner. David Colburn married Rebecca, daughter 
of Thomas Richards, of Dedham. They had a numerous fam- 
ily, only three of whom were living when they came to town, 
— Edward, Ephraim, and Tryphena. 

Edward, the oldest, married Betsey, daughter of Ebenezer 
Newell, of Needham, Mass., to which town he removed in 1822, 
and died in 1833. 

Tryphena married Capt. Jacob D. Dodge, and is now residing 
in Nashua. She has had a numerous family, only four of whom 
are now living, two sons and two daughters. 

Ephraim, the second son, married Rachael, also a daughter 
of Dea. Newell, of Needham, in April, 1804. He died May 
19, 1855, aged 78 years. His widow, who still has a home 
upon the old farm, is now 78 years of age. 

They had seven children : Leonard, born Aug. 17, 1804 
Willard, born January 9, 1807 ; Luther, born Aug. 16, 1811 
Horace, born Sept. 28, 1815; Mark, born May 12, 1818 
Ephraim, born May 1, 1821, and Reuben, born April 8, 1826. 



400 



Leonard, the oldest son, married Mary T., daughter of Capt. 
Livingston, of New Boston. He was always a resident of New 
Boston, and during the last years of his life resided near the 
Upper Village, where his widow still lives. He died in July, 
1856. 

They had four children : "William W., Ephraim Warren, 
Emma J., and James L. William graduated at Dartmouth 
College, in 1861, and is now Principal of the High School in 
Manchester, N. H. Warren married Lizzie S. Roper, of Fran- 
cestown, where he now resides. Emma married Dea. John N. 
Dodge, of New Boston. James enlisted into the 9th Beg. N. 
H. V. in Aug., 1862, and is now in the army. 

Williard, the second son, married Sarah, daughter of Joseph 
Gilbert, of Prancestown. They lived in New Boston till 1853, 
when they removed to Manchester, where they still reside. 

They had eleven children : Bachael N., Willard E., Sarah 
G., Hannah R., David W., Maria W., Carrie S., Mary E., Les- 
tina L., Margie C. D., and Joseph G. 

Rachel married David S. Todd, of New Boston, in the fall 
of 1854, and died in March, 1857. 

Willard has been twice married, and is now living in Ches- 
ter. Sarah married James More, of Manchester, and died in 
1856. Hannah married Eri Harvey, of Manchester, and died 
in February, 1864. 

David enlisted as private in the 2d Regt. N. H. Y. in the 
spring of 1861 ; was promoted to orderly sergeant, which po- 
sition he held at the time of his death. He was married to 
Miss Lucy Proctor, of East Washington, N. H., while home on 
a furlough in the spring of 1863, and was killed on the 2d 
of July following, at the battle of Gettysburg, after having 
safely passed through all the battles in which his regiment had 
been engaged previous to that time. 

Maria is now residing in Manchester. Carrie married 
Emerson Dunham, and is also in Manchester. Lestina and 
Joseph are with their parents. Margie died in May, 1854. 

Luther, the third son, married Mary S., daughter of Samuel 
Todd, of New Boston, Oct. 15, 1835. She died in Aug., 1841. 

He married Hannah E., daughter of Nehemiah Story, of 
Goffstown, May 3, 1842. By his first marriage he had two 



401 



children : Mary J., born March 4, 1837, and Martin L., born 
April 26, 1839. By the second marriage, five children : 
Hattie E., born Dec. 1, 1843 ; Emmie M., born April 18, 1850 ; 
Frank N., born Oct 19, 1852 ; Addie N., born Dec. 24, 1855, 
and Charles S., born April 11, 1860. 

All are living at the present time except Frank, who died 
July 31, 1854. Martin served as Lieut, in the 16th Reg. N. 
H. V., in Louisana. 

Horace, the fourth son, died Sept. 16, 1816. Mark, the 
fifth son, married Caltha, daughter of Capt. Cyrus Lufkin, of 
Weare, in June, 1843. They reside in Weare, and have two 
children : Cyrus L., and Edson. 

Ephraim, the sixth son, married Sarah J., daughter of Wil- 
liam Taylor, of New Boston, in 1850. She died in July, 1859. 

He married Charlotte Barron, of Merrimac, in August, I860, 
and is now living in Merrimac. He has one son, William 
Henry, born in February, 1853. 

Reuben, the seventh son, married Hannah Gould, daughter 
of Elijah Gould, of Antrim, in 1849. 

In 1853 he married Miss Mary J. Holt, of Francestown, and 
now resides in Manchester. By the first marriage he had one 
daughter ; by the second one son, Otis H., born in 1854. 

Benjamin Buxton was born in North Reading, Mass., in 
1753. In early life he resided in the family of Rev. Eliab 
Stone, the pastor of a church in that place, under whose in- 
struction he commenced the study of Latin. But the Revolu- 
tionary war breaking out, he forsook his Latin, and hastened to 
the defence of his country. Soon after the commencement of 
the war, he went out in a privateer, which, having made a suc- 
cessful voyage, was returning with the crews of the vessels she 
had captured on board, when they suddenly rose, got possession 
of her, and took her into Halifax. Subsequently he was im- 
pressed on board of a British man-of-war, where he was kept till 
the close of our Revolutionary struggle. In that situation he 
was treated with great severity, because he would stand up for 
his country. As often as the British officers vilified it, assuring 
him that, together Avith Washington, it was going to ruin, he 
replied to them, " Sir, I wish I was with him." He was be- 
labored unmercifully with blows, till, on a certain occasion 

51 



402 



under such treatment, he turned on his heel, and knocked the 
boatswain down ; at which, some recommending to " take him 
aft," — that is, to have him executed, — the boatswain said, 
" No, I won't ; I'll hang him myself." Giving him a few light 
blows, he turned away from him, and the same day drew him 
into his berth to drink grog with him, saying, " Buxton, you 
are a good fellow." 

During his service in the British navy, he acquired consider- 
able reputation as a seaman ; and after his discharge from that 
service he followed a seafaring life a number of years, in the 
capacity of a shipmaster. 

About the year 1796 he removed from Danvers, Mass., where 
he had resided for some time, to New Boston. He was nat- 
urally of an upright, frank, and generous disposition, having no 
heart or tact to secure advantages in trade ; which may be illus- 
trated by a single incident. Col. Daniel Flint, of North Blad- 
ing, coming into the country with him, to assist him in select- 
ing and purchasing a farm, said to him, " Now, Buxton, let me 
do the trading, and don't you say a word." But, having ex- 
amined the farm which he purchased, and learned the price at 
which it was held, he immediately forestalled all attempts to 
get it at a cheaper rate, by saying, " Cheap enough, Col. Flint, 
cheap enough ! " 

Soon after he came to New Boston the death of his little 
daughter was sanctified to him for his religious awakening and 
hopeful conversion. He then made a public profession of re- 
ligion, and was ever after noted for his consistent christian life 
and regular attendance on the institutions of the gospel. His 
youngest son he consecrated to God, with a special desire that 
he should become a minister of the gospel. Through God's 
covenant faithfulness, his prayers for this object have been an- 
swered. In 1813 he died, aged 60 years, a good man, and 
greatly lamented. 

Capt. Buxton, in 1786, married Hannah Flint, of North 
Reading, who was born Feb. 5, 1759, and died in the year 1837. 
They had six children. 

1. Hannah was born May 17, 1787 ; died Sept. 12, 1860 ; mar- 
ried Abner Dodge, who was born Oct. 21, 1788 ; died Sept. 24, 
1852. They were professors of religion, of consistent piety ; 
had eleven children. 



403 



Eloisa was born Aug. 5, 1808 ; married Abner Dane June 9, 
1840 ; a few years after their marriage removed to Nashua, 
where they now reside. 

Jacob was born July 1, 1810 ; an ingenious mechanic ; expe- 
rienced religion in his last sickness ; died at his paternal home 
in Nashua, Feb. 2, 1849. 

Ezra was born Sept. 9, 1812 ; married April 10, 1838 ; a pro- 
fessor of religion ; has two sons ; resides in Danvers, Mass. 

Benjamin P. was born Dec. 13, 1814 ; married Oct. 12, 1848 ; 
has two children ; is a professor of religion ; resides in Stacy- 
ville, Iowa. 

Mary B. was borri Feb. 3, 1817 ; married Samuel Dane ; is a 
professor of religion ; has had several children ; resides in New 
Boston. 

Reuben was born Dec. 15, 1818 ; married Mary Cochran ; 
has one daughter ; is a professor of religion ; resides in Man- 
chester. 

Abner B. was born June 1, 1821 ; died April 16, 1822. 

Abner B. was born April 9, 1823 ; married Mary Gr. Hall ; 
resides in Nashua. 

James F. was born Oct. 26, 1826 ; died Dec. 20, 1834. 

Anna M. was born May 11, 1828 ; is a professor of religion ; 
resides in Nashua. 

Margaret was born April 26, 1831 ; was a professor of re- 
ligion ; a sweet singer ; died July 9, 1855. 

2. Charles was born Aug. 27, 1789. 

3. James F. was born Nov. 9, 1792 ; married Lucinda Coch- 
ran in 1819, and they had four children : Charlotte Flint, Fran- 
ces Gove, John Cochran, Eliza Dalton. 

Charlotte was born Jan. 1, 1820 ; died Nov. 24, 1838. 

Frances was born Jan. 15, 1824 ; became the wife of J. 
Richards Dodge Oct 20, 1846. 

John was born Feb. 29, 1828 ; married Henrietta S. Norris, 
of Sandusky, Ohio, Nov. 16, 1853. 

Eliza was born June 15, 1832 ; became the wife of Edward 
P. Ransom Aug. 7, 1855, and died at Newburyport, Mass., 
Feb., 1857. 

Mr. James F. Buxton resides with his son, in Springfield 
City, Ohio, where his wife died Dec. 27, 1857, aged 62. 



404 

4. Abigail was born Oct. 8, 1796 ; died Aug. 8, 1850 ; was a 
professor of religion ; married James Cochran, by whom she 
had eight children. 

5. Mary was born Jan. 31, 1799 ; died Oct. 6, 1802. 

6. Edward. (See page 135.) 

Robert Parkinson. — His ancestors were all of the genuine 
stock, Scotch Irish. His father, whose name was Henry, en- 
tered Nassau Hall College from Londonderry, and graduated. 
He served in the Revolutionary war, and was at one time quar- 
termaster in Col. John Stark's regiment. In an old manuscript 
of his it is found recorded that his " constitution was broken 
while in the service ; " and this is given as a reason why he 
spent his days in farming and teaching, instead of pursuing a 
profession. It is said that he excelled as a classical scholar ; 
and in his day he fitted many students for Dartmouth College. 
His wife was a McCurdy, and aunt to the late James and John 
McCurdy, of New Boston. 

Robert Parkinson, his son, was born in Francestown May 18, 
1781, and passed his youth in Concord and Canterbury, and 
purchased a lot of land in Columbia, then a wilderness, as was 
no small portion of Coos County at that time. He spent the 
summer of 1809 there, "in camp," and clearing land, sowing 
winter grain, and building a house of hewn timber, the first 
in the settlement of so much pretension, there being only two 
or three houses, and those of round logs. 

In February or March, 1810, he was married, by Rev. Mr. 
Bradford, to Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel Kelso, one of the 
sturdy farmers who cleared away the forests, and laid the foun- 
dations of the civil and religious institutions of the town. His 
wife was Mary, daughter of John McAllister, and they had nine 
sons and three daughters, and all lived to adult years. 

Mr. Parkinson's wife was born April 5, 1781. Immediately 
after his marriage he proceeded to Columbia, and spent the .first 
twelve years of wedded life there in his log house, in which 
there were born two sons and two daughters. Here he became 
involved, and lost his property, partly in consequence of being 
" bound," and having to pay another's debt, and partly by an 
investment in lumber, which was rendered unsalable by the 
" Embargo," and became disheartened. But his noble wife was 



405 

equal to the position in which this change of fortune placed 
her. Before leaving New Boston she professed her faith in 
Christ and all the precious promises of the Bible, by uniting 
with the Presbyterian Church. And the hope she had pro- 
fessed gave full proof of its genuineness : in the darkest and 
stormiest hour it was an anchor to her soul, sure and steadfast. 
Possessing, by nature, a cheerful temperament, untiring energy, 
a fortitude which succombed to no hardship, a love which many 
waters could not quench, and a clearness of perception which 
never failed to distinguish between a lowly position and low- 
ness of character; — with these natural gifts rooted in, and 
vitalized and beautified by, the faith which is the substance of 
things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen ; 

" Let cares like a wild deluge come, 
And storms of sorrow fall ; " 

still she could move calmly on in the path Providence had as- 
signed her, without a faltering step or a murmuring lip, and 
wear herself out in feeding, clothing, instructing, counselling, 
and inspiring with self-respect, courage, and hope, the little 
flock to whom she was far more then wealth and high position. 
And in the rich triumphs of faith she went to her eternal rest 
March 4, 1837, aged 56. 

In 1821 Mr. Parkinson with his wife and children returned 
to New Boston, and lived near the base of Joe English, not far 
from the school-house in Captain Lamson's district. In that 
school-house the children, born in Columbia, were baptized by 
Rev. Mr. Bradford, as there was no church in that settlement. 
The scene at their baptizing is described as most intensely in- 
teresting and solemn. In that little red house Mr. Parkinson's 
children, for the first time, attended school ; whatever they had 
learned before had been taught them by their faithful mother. 
In speaking of that school the Rev. Royal Parkinson, their 
fourth child, thus speaks : " Among the best remembered school- 
mates of those days were Clark B. Cochrane, the sons of James 
Wason, and the elder sons and daughters of Dea. Robert "Wason. 
My brother Henry and sister Frances attended at the same 
time ; and my impression is that Gerry Whiting Cochrane, 
brother of Clark B., and one or two of their sisters, attended 



406 



that first winter school. From it have come three college grad- 
uates, two ministers, one minister's wife, one lawyer, judge 
and member of congress, one state senator, one alderman, at 
least four leading and successful city merchants ; all reliable 
men, of sterling character, and not less than half a score of suc- 
cessful teachers. Perhaps I should be justified in adding to 
this catalogue a poetess, since, if L. Theresa Lamson, now 
Wason, was not my schoolmate, and I am not sure, she was 
my pupil, for I subsequently taught there, as did my sister 
Frances." 

Royal Parkinson, the second son of Robert, was born in 
Columbia November 8, 1815. When but eight years old he 
went to live with Captain James F. Buxton, " a man in whom," 
he says, " I never saw a mean act ; and that his wife was a 
woman of great kindness and worth, no inhabitant of New 
Boston need be told." After four years Captain Buxton remov- 
ing to Nashua, young Parkinson labored in different places 
during summers and attended or taught schools winters ; aid- 
ing his mother in the support of the family. " Among my 
teachers," he says, " in New Boston were Augusta Kelso, now 
Lawrence, B. B. and C. B. Cochrane, Putman Bradford, David 
Atwood, and William and Jesse Beard. The last named had 
few equals, and I have never known his superior, as a teacher. 
My fitting for college," he continues, " was away from New 
Boston, but yet under New Boston inspiration and auspices. 
Prominent among those who inspired me with courage to make 
the attempt, outside of my own family, were Mr. Bradford, and 
by their kind words and worthy example Edward Buxton and 
Clark B. Cochrane, and chief among those who aided me in 
executing it, were Captain Buxton and his wife. During the 
time of my academical studies they resided in Nashua, and 
the greater part of the time I had a home with them, and all 
its conveniences and comforts, in exchange for what 'chores' 
I did, more or less." 

Mr. Parkinson entered Dartmouth College in the spring of 
1889 and graduated in 1842, and entered immediately the 
office of Hon. George Y. Sawyer, of Nashua, as a law-student, and 
was connected with it two years, though engaged in teaching 
the larger part of the time. In the mean time old religious 



407 

impressions made at New Boston in the great revival of 1881 
were revived, deepened, and culminated in new and higher views 
of life and its end, and he turned from the law to the gospel. 
He entered Union Theological Seminary, New York city, 
and spent two years there, and the third at Andover, graduat- 
ing in 1847. He at once began to Labor at Capo Elizabeth, 
Me., where he was ordained over the Congregational Church 
October 18, 1848, and was united in marriage witli Joanna. 
Griffin, of Brunswick, Me., November 21 of the same yen-. 
"And now, 1 ' says he, in speaking of himself " I am here in 
Randolph, Vt., ministering to a worthy church and people; 
and one member of the church, among the most worthy, is a 
granddaughter of Deacon Robert Patterson, of New Boston. 
Three miles from here, on the railroad, there is another village 
in town; the leading mercantile firm in it is one noted 
throughout the county for its reliability, its strict integrity; 
the church, the Sabbath school, and everything good has in it 
friends and supporters; it is Amos W. Tewksbury and sons 
from New Boston." 

Mary (daughter of Robert Parkinson ) is connected with the 
School of Designs, Cooper Institute, New York; Benry, is a 
merchant in Nashua, and be married Lydia Wilson, of Antrim; 
Eliza became the wife of Mr. McKean, of Manchester, and has 
deceased; Francos became the wife of Rev. Mr. Wheeler, of 
Roxbury, Mass., and has four children ; Caroline is a teacher 
in Worcester Seminary, Mass. ; John K. is in California; and 
Clara married Henry Herrick, designer and engraver, Brooklyn, 
New York, and has four children. 

John Goodhue. — In November, 1636, the Etev. Nathaniel 
Rogers, formerly minister of Assington in Suffolk, England, 
came over to this country, and was soon followed by William 
Goodhue and sixteen others, all members of bis church. Said 
Goodhue was deacon of the first church in Ipswich; was in 
high reputation as a man of piety, integrity, and wisdom. For 
many years he served the town as selectman, moderator, and 
representative, lie died, at an advanced age, in 1699 or 1700. 
His children were Joseph, William, and Alary: .Joseph, was 
deacon of the first church with his father; William was dea- 
con of the second church. History says both men were of like 
respectability with their father. 



408 

Joseph died in September, 1697. By his third wife, Mercy, 
he had one son whose name was Samuel, who was born April 
6, 1696. Samuel married Abigail Bartlett, and settled in 
Stratham, N. H. He afterwards moved to Nottingham, where 
he was deacon of the Congregational Church for many years. 
He subsequently removed to Hollis, N. H., and died the 7th 
of November, 1785, in the ninetieth year of his age, triumphant- 
ly supported by the religion he had long professed and en- 
joyed. 

John, the youngest of his eight children, married Olive 
Taylor, and resided in Hollis, and afterwards in Groton, N. H., 
where he died in 1818, aged eighty-four. Their children were 
six. John 2d, the eldest, married Hannah Parham, and resided 
in Hollis, N. H., afterwards in Amherst, N. H. Thence he re- 
moved to New Boston in 1796 or 1797, where he was in busi- 
ness as a merchant till the winter of 1816-17, when he 
removed to Westfield, Ohio, where he remained till his death. 

Joseph (A) Goodhue, the second of the five children of John 
2d, was born in Hollis, N. H., 1789 ; removed with his father 
to Amherst, thence to New Boston. He married Betsey Felch 
November 15, 1818. He resided for nearly two years in Med- 
ford, Mass., when he returned to New Boston, where he still 
remains. 

Their children were five, three sons and two daughters. 
Amos B. Goodhue was born January 22, 1821. He graduated 
at Dartmouth College in 1845. In a few months after his 
graduation he married Elvira, daughter of David Patten, Esq., 
of Hancock, N. H., and went to Alabama, where in the course 
of a year or two he became Professor in Howard College at 
Marrion, where he still remains. 

Leonard F. Goodhue was born Oct. 23, 1822. He entered 
the Sophomore class in Dartmouth College in 1844, and died 
at the commencement of his Junior year, having attained a 
high position in his class as a scholar. 

Joseph Addison Goodhue. (See page 161.) 

Ann married Dr. Eaton for her first husband; for her second, 
Mr. Edwin Tilden, of Boston. 

Mary became the wife of Mr. Fuller, and after his death, of 
Rev. Mr. Weeks ; and is now dead. 



409 

Mr. Gooodlmc married, for his second wife, Ann Crosby, of 
Milford, by whom he has one daughter, Sarah L. 

Capt. Matthew Fairfield. — Capt. Matthew Fairfield com- 
manded a company during' the war of the Revolution, and was 
sent by the War Department to quell the Tory insurrections, or 
mobs, that existed in New Hampshire, and particularly in Hills- 
borough County, where the old loyal Scotch element so largely 
predominated. The duty assigned him was like that of our 
provost marshals. There are those living who remember to 
have seen and read his first proclamation to the rebels. His 
greatest troubles were in New Boston, where the Tories had 
their rendezvous. But it appears that here he found friends, 
and soon after the war he moved his family from Wenham, 
Mass., to New Boston, and settled on a tract of land in the 
south part of the town, where he resided until his death, in 
1814, which was occasioned by the falling of a tree. 

His wife was Abigail Ayers, of Haverhill, Mass. They had 
but one child, John. 

Capt. Fairfield was a man of much intelligence, and was 
often entrusted with important business, serving the town in a 
variety of ways with great fidelity. 

John Fairfield, Esq. — He was son of Capt. Matthew Fair- 
field, came to this town with his father when a small lad, and 
at his father's death inherited the homestead, as the only child. 
He married Hetty Baker, of Wenham, Mass., by whom he had 
twelve children, only two of whom survive : Josiah W., of Hud- 
son, N. Y., the second child, and Mrs. Warren, of Manchester, 
the youngest. Mr. Fairfield's wife died Sept. 8, 1840, aged 62. 
Afterwards he married Mrs. Stevens, of New Boston, and died 
Feb. 17, 1854, aged 81. His widow died in 180:3. 

Mr. Fairfield, like his father, was a very intelligent man, and 
possessed of business capacity, which was often called into 
requisition. 

John Cochran, Esq. — It appears that James Cochran came 
to this country in 1717, and died in Londonderry in 1718. 
The name of his wife is unknown. 

His son Thomas was born 1702, and died Nov. 20, 1791, 
known as the first Deacon Thomas Cochran, of New Boston j 

52 



410 

and his wife was Jennet Adams, of Londonderry, born 1708, 
and died June 21, 1784. 

James, the son of this Deacon Thomas, was born in 1731, 
and died April 21, 1772. His wife was Christian Aiken, born 
1734, and died Aug. 22, 1819. She was daughter of Nathaniel 
Aiken, who was born May 14, 1696, and died Dec. 1, 1783, 
having married, Dec. 1, 1726, Margaret, daughter of James 
Cochran ; and this Nathaniel Aiken was the son of Edward, 
who was born in 1660, and died in 1747, having married Barby 
Edwards in 1663, who died in 1747. Thus John Cochran, Esq., 
was the son of Dea. Thomas, who was the son of James. 

John Cochran, Esq., was born Eeb. 27, 1769, and died May 
16, 1857. He married Frances, daughter of Dr. Jonathan 
Gove. She was born Nov. 25, 1774, and died Jan. 5, 1826. 
Their children were : 

Lucinda, born Nov. 12, 1794, and died Dec. 27, 1856, be- 
coming the wife of , Feb. 26, 1819. 

Frances, born July 12, 1796 ; married Rev. J. W. Perkins 
Dec. 28, 1824, and they now live in New Chester, Adams 
County, Wisconsin. 

Charles E., born July 7, 1798, and died April 20, 1814. 

Harriet, born July 30, 1800, and died Jan. 13, 1826. 

Rodney G., born Dec. 1, 1802 ; married, May 1, 1828, and 
now lives in Francestown. 

Jeremiah S., born Jan. 16, 1805 ; became a physician, and 
died at Sandusky, Ohio, July 6, 1845 ; marrying, Jan. 1, 1837, 
Sarah T., daughter of Hon. M. Far well, of Sandusky, a most 
estimable woman, who died in 1842, by whom he had four chil- 
dren, one of whom is the wife of J. M. Osborn, Esq., of Day- 
ton, Ohio, and another is a soldier in the Army of the Cumber- 
land. 

Jonathan, born March 28, 1807 ; married Nov. 26, 1840, and 
now resides at Elgin, Min., Wabashaw Co. 

Samuel C, born May 6, 1809 ; married June 22, 1837, and 
resides at St. Louis, Mo. 

Sarah Jane A., deaf and mute, born Nov. 12, 1812, and died 
Sept. 23, 1828, at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Hartford, Ct. 

Charles, born June 9, 1816 ; married May 27, 1847 ; now a 
practising physician in Toledo, Ohio. 



411 



Alexander McCollom. — With his wife Jennet, Mr. McCol- 
lom came from Londonderry, Ireland, about the year 1730, and 
settled in Londonderry, N. H. His children were Alexander, 
Thomas, Jean, Robert, Archibald, John, Jennet. 

Alexander married Elizabeth McMurphy, and settled in this 
town, on the farm now owned by George Adams, in 1758, more 
than a mile east of the Presbyterian Church. He was chosen 
clerk at the first meeting of the town, at Dea. Thomas Coch- 
ran's house (after its incorporation), March 10, 1763, and held 
that office without interruption until his death, Jan., 1768. 
His children were Jennet, Jean, John, Elizabeth, and Alex- 
ander. 

Jennet married Eliphalet Duston, and settled in Francestown, 
and died in the city of Manchester, at the residence of Dr. L. 
Farley, July 8, 1854, age 95 years 9 months. She was married 
at the age of 16, and proved a woman of rare excellences of 
mind and heart. She reared a family of eight children, two 
others dying before reaching maturity ; united with the Pres- 
byterian Church in 1776, then under the charge of Rev. Sol- 
omon Moor, by whom all her children were baptized, and lived 
a life in harmony with her sacred profession. Her relation to 
the church extended through a period of seventy-eight years, 
while her married life was fifty-nine. She outlived all her chil- 
dren but three, with one of whom she died, possessed of much 
of the mental and physical energy of earlier days, and in the 
glorious hope of immortality. 

Jean married Thomas Millen, and settled in Newbury, Vt. 

John died 1783, aged 22. 

Elizabeth married Zachariah Duston. 

Alexander retained the homestead, and in 1784 married 
Mary, daughter of Robert Patterson, and their children were 
John, Elizabeth, Robert, Rodney, Alexander, Fanny, Elbridge, 
Mary, Milton, Haskell, Clarissa, George W., and two that died 
young. This Alexander McCollom held the office of Selectman 
several years, and was a very energetic and industrious man. 
He removed to Mont Vernon in 1820, where he died 1 1843, 
aged 77, and his widow died in 1854, at the age of 79. Of 
their children, John settled in Claremont, and married Betsey 
Chase, their children being Clarissa and Annis ; he died in 1822, 
aged 34. 



412 

Elizabeth married John McLane, of Francestown, and their 
children were Niel, Alexander, John, Charles, Rodney, Mary 
Isabel, Nancy Jane, George W., Elizabeth, Clara, Sarah, Hellen, 
Marion, and Robert E. 

Robert died in Batavia, N. Y., 1825, aged 35, unmarried. 
Rodney married Naomi, daughter of the late David Wilson, and 
their children are : David A., who married Martha, daughter of 
Levi Cochran ; Arabella, who married Foster Allen, and they 
reside in Manchester, Mass. ; and Mary Rebecca. 

Alexander married Mary Goodrich, of Merrimac, and settled 
as a physician in Pittston, Me., where he now resides. 

Fanny resides in Lowell, Mass. ; Elbridge, married Mary 
Jane, daughter of Hon. Jonathan Harvey, of Sutton, and 
their children are Elizabeth, Hannah, and Thomas Benton. 

Milton married Sophronia Trow, and lived in Mont Vernon, 
their children being Charles, John, Mary, and Francis ; 
■ Milton died in 1852, aged 49 ; Mary died in 1825, aged 20 ; 
Haskel married and lived in Lancaster, Mass., and his chil- 
dren are Mary, Caroline, George, and Harriet ; Clarrisa, 
married Lemuel Marden, and they reside in New Boston ; 
George W. married Mary Jane Stephens, of Mont Vernon, 
and they live in New York city. 

Robert Campbell. — The Campbells are Scotch-Irish in 
their origin, and made their first settlement in Townsend, 
Mass. Robert, the subject of this sketch, was the son of 
Robert, who died at Townsend Feb. 12, 1792, and married 
Elizabeth, daughter of James and Mary Waugh ; and this 
Elizabeth died Dec. 5, 1796, and her father died May 18, 1802, ' 
and her mother died 1800. Robert Campbell (the second) 
was born in Townsend, Mass., June 4, 1742, and died Jan. 18, 
1827. He married Elizabeth Waugh, who was born in 1750 
and died in 1831. Their marriage transpired Dec. 8, 1767 ? 
and they came to New Boston in 1770, and settled on a tract 
of land in the east part of the town, where his grandson Dan- 
iel Campbell, Esq., now resides. It was a rough tract of land, 
but containing rich soil and excellent timber. Their first habi- 
tation was the rudest structure of round logs, and few and far 
distant were their neighbors, dark and dense were the forests 
on every hand, made more dark by frightful beasts of prey; 



413 



but stout hearts and strong arms soon converted the wilder- 
ness into a fruitful field. Mr. Campbell's wife was a resolute, 
christian woman ; and they both resolved to clear the land and 
'build houses for the Lord's sake, and they ever kept their eye 
upon the interest of religion, as well as civilization, and hal- 
lowed the Sabbath and sanctified all things with prayer. The 
war of the Revolution came just when they were beginning to 
enjoy a little comfort, but they both cordially embraced the 
cause of the Patriots, and he bared his bosom to the weapons 
of the Royalist, and she encouraged him in his patriotism, and 
fearlessly took upon herself the care of the household and the 
management of the farm. While near Ticonderoga, he was 
taken prisoner by the Indians, together with James Caldwell 
and Josiah Warren, stripped of their clothing, and subjected to 
much suffering ; but after some months were exchanged, and 
came home on a furlough in great destitution, but cheerfully 
returned to the service again. Mr. Campbell could not toler- 
ate Tories, and whenever they assembled for treasonable pur- 
poses, his horse was always fleetest of foot to bear him to their 
rendezvous, to aid in dispersing them. Mr. Campbell was an 
honest man, a kind neighbor, as well as a firm patriot, and was 
often intrusted with business for the town, and took a lively 
interest in the institutions of religion. 

His children were: Daniel, born Oct. 18,17G8,and died Oct. 
6, 1795 ; James, born Oct. 15, 1770 ; Thomas, born April 7, 
1773, and died Jan. 7, 1852 ; Elizabeth, born April 7, 1775 
and died Dec. 4, 1856 ; Robert, born March 6, 1777 ; John, 
born March 22, 1779 ; Samuel, born Aug. 27,1782 ; an infant, 
April 18, 1784 ; Josiah, born June 3, 1785 ; David and Jona- 
than, May 28, 1787; Mary Gove, born, June 22, 1789; Sallie, 
born Sept. 16, 1792. 

James went to Hartland, Vt., where he died without chil- 
dren, having married Sallie Weed Dec, 1795 ; Elizabeth mar- 
ried Samuel Christie, of Antrim, Dec. 20, 1814, and he died 
Oct. 25, 1818, and she died at New Boston Dec. 4, 1856, aged 
81. Mrs. Christie was a lady of a highly cultivated mind and 
christian heart, in sympathy with every good cause; the im- 
press of the Master was clearly seen upon her, and when he 
called she was ready to go. The influence of her life, and her 



414 



sweet serenity in death, were a wondrous proof of the sancti- 
fying effect of .religion. 

Robert was born March 6, 1777, went to Hartland, Yt., mar- 
ried Huldah Hackett, and died, leaving two daughters : Mary 
Ann, who became the wife of Samael M. Christie, and Sarah 
Jane, who became the wife of Reuben R. Dutton, and resided 
at Hartford, Vt. Mr. Dutton died in 1856. 

John was born March 22, 1779, went to Waitsfield, Vt., 
married Maria Louise Whitney June, 1801, by whom he had 
nine children, of whom there are now living : Calista, John 
S., James and Mary Gove. He died March 23, 1852. 

Samuel was born Aug. 27, 1782, was many years a school 
teacher in Boston, and subsequently located on one of the 
best farms in Mont Vernon ; he married Rebecca Kingsbury, 
of Dedham, Mass., by whom he has had two children : Eliza- 
beth M. (deceased) and William Henry. 

Josiah was born June 3, 1785, went to Waitsfield, Vt., and 
married Abagail Cary Jan., 1813, by whom he had five, chil- 
dren : Robert, Benjamin, Rebecca C, Annis C, Josiah, and 
Hannah A. 

David and Jonathan were born May 28, 1787. David died 
Oct. 6, 1795, and Jonathan went to Hartland, Vt., and married 
Elizabeth Wilson Dec, 1812, by whom he had three children, 
now all dead. He died May 15, 1819. 

Mary Gove was born June 22, 1789, and died, unmarried, 
June 23, 1840. 

Sallie was born Sept. 16, 1792, and became the wife of John 
Mclntire, of Goffstownin 1822, and had one child that died 
young. Mr. Mclntire died May 20, 1840, and she became the 
wife of Dea. John French, of Bedford, Aug., 1844, and died 
May 25, 1861, and she now resides in Goffstown. 

Thomas Campbell. — He was son of Robert, born March 6, 
1777, inherited the homestead, and married, Oct. 3,1799, Ann, 
daughter of William Clark, Esq., and died Jan. 7, 1852, and 
she died Aug. 25, 1857. Mr. Campbell was an excellent citi- 
zen, and exemplary in the various walks of life, while his wife 
was an energetic, industrious, high-minded christian lady, 
adorning the domestic life by many virtues, and, amid all her 
cares, not forgetting her obligations to God. The largest hos- 



415 

pitality in her house was always enjoyed, and the sick and 
needy ever found in her a friend and helper. She filled a large 
place in the family and neighborhood. 

Their children were : Annis, born July 9, 1802 ; Daniel, 
born April 16, 1801 ; Eliza Ann, born Sept. 5, 1807, and died 
March 23, 1808 ; William C, born Sept. 16, 1810, and Eliza- 
beth L., born April 13, 1816. 

Annis married Leonard C. French, Jr., Esq., June 1, 1831, 
and they live in Bedford, their children being : Clinton, born 
October 24, 1832 ; Elmira T., born May 1, 1835, and became 
the wife of Thomas R. Cochran, of New Boston, January 1, 
1863 ; William C, born December 18, 1838 ; and Robert C, 
born January 2, 1845. 

Daniel married Sabrina R., daughter of John Moor, and 
granddaughter of Rev. Solomon Moor, November 6, 1834, who 
died February 11, 1846, aged 38, by whom he had five chil- 
dren ; Clark, born March 17, 1836, and married November 27, 
1862, Ann Perkins, of Mont Vernon, where they now reside ; 
Alfred M., born May 14, 1838 ; John, born May 1, 1840, and 
•died November 17, 1840 ; John and Sabrina, born February 11, 
1846, the latter dying April 18, 1846. 

Mr. Campbell married, for his second wife, December 2, 1847, 
Matilda Moor, and they have two children : Hamilton M., born 
August 29, 1848, and Mary Ann, born March 27, 1851. 

William C. went to Conway, Mass., in 1838, and is engaged 
in mercantile business ; he married Emma Ames, and they 
have six children: Almira F., Elizabeth, Emma, Mary Ann, 
Jesse, and William F. 

Elizabeth L. married Luther McCutchin, and they live in 
New London, having two children : Robert Sherman and Ann 
Elizabeth. 

Josiah Warren. — He came from Chelmsford, Mass., son of 
Ephraim, who married Esther Parker, and this Ephraim seems 
to have been the son of Joseph, who married Ruth Wheeler 
March 11, 1696, and died September 30, 1769, while Ephraim 
seems to have died at Townscnd, Mass., about the year 1784, in 
his eighty-first year. Josiah Warren came to New Boston from 
Chelmsford, Mass., about the same time as Robert Campbell, 
and settled on a tract of land quite near him, and very similar 



416 I 

to his, where the late Josiah Warren lived. He married Jane 
Livingston, sister of the late Lieutenant Robert Livingston, 
and was a very worthy citizen, a kind neighbor, hospitable to 
strangers, and a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. 
He was a zealous patriot, and was in the army of the Revolution 
with his friend and neighbor, Robert Campbell, sharing his 
fate in captivity ; and his wife was worthy of her husband, and 
of the times in which she lived. 

Their children were : Esther, born May 5, 1768, and died aged 
86 ; Ephraim, born October 14, 1770 ; Robert, born December 
24, 1772, and died March 26, 1857, aged 84 ; Josiah, born Oct. 
15, 1774, and died May 5, 1862 ; Jane, born September 16, 
1776 ; Mary, born November 9, 1774 ; Ephraim, born November 
2, 1780, and died December 10, aged 69 ; Sarah, born March 
1782 ; Elizabeth, born March 27, 1784 ; Salley, born September 
27, 1786 ; and Mary Ann, born December, 1788. 

Esther married William Duncan, of Antrim ; Zebiah mar- 
ried Samuel Christy, son of Dea. Jesse Christy, and lived in 
Antrim ; Robert married Prudence Butterfield, and lived near 
his father's, and was a worthy citizen and highly esteemed as a 
Christian, and his children were: John B., who inherited the 
homestead, and married Lavinia, daughter of the late David 
Wilson, having children, Alnms, James, George, and AnnisP. ; 
Josiah inherited his father's farm, and married Hannah Her- 
ridon, and their children are : Jonathan, who married Mary 
Peabody, and lives, in Manchester ; Joseph H., who married 
Adeline Kelso ; Josiah, who married Lucinda Worthley, and 
lives in Goffstown, his present wife being a McClure ; John D., 
who married Sophia Jayne, and lives on the homestead ; Jane 
married Jedediah Tuttle, of Antrim, and was the mother of 
our worthy townsman, Captain James M. Tuttle ; Mary mar- 
ried William Livingston, and their children were : Gerry W., 
Ephraim W., living in Nashua, Mary T., who married Leonard 
Colburn, having for children William W., a graduate of Dart- 
mouth and teacher of the high school in the city of Manchester ; 
Ephraim W. married, and lives in Francestown ; Emma Jane, 
the wife of Dea. John N. Dodge ; and James L., now in the 
Army of the Cumberland ; and Jane W. (daughter of Mary 
and Wm. L.), who married Leonard Cutler, of Frankville, 
Iowa, and John. 



417 



Ephraim (son of Josiah) lived in Goffstown, and was an ex- 
cellent man, for many years a deacon in the Congregational 
Church, which office he held at his death, December 10, 1849, 
aged 69 ; he married Mary Patterson, who died April 8, 1824 : 
their children being William P., who married Mary Gove 
Campbell, daughter of the late Robert Warren, and she died 
September 28, 1854, at the age of 40, leaving five children ; 
Ephraim, Mary Prances, William Christie, Granville Patter- 
son, and Sarah Jane Patterson. 

Jane, who married Cyrus Clough, of Hillsborough, and has 
three sons living; Robert, who married Mary, daughter of 
John Fairfield, Esq., of New Boston, by whom he had one son, 
Frank ; his second wife was Martha Butterfield ; Mary, who 
married Horace Richards, of Goffstown, and died leaving six 
children : Henry, Mary Annis, George, Ephraim, Edward, and 
Tyler. 

Dea. Ephraim Warren married for his second wife Beulah 
Mussey, sister of the celebrated Dr. Reuben D. Mussey, by 
whom he had four children : John M., Esther Duncan, George, 
who inherits the homestead, and married, June 25, 1863, L. 
Abbie, daughter of Jeremiah Burnham, of New Boston ; and 
Julia Ann. 

James Caldwell, Esq. — He was son of James Caldwell, of 
Londonderry, one of the Proprietors, and settled on a tract of 
land where Samuel Jones now lives, but subsequently sold, 
and built on land adjoining the farms of Robert Campbell and 
Josiah Warren, and these three men lived on terms of great 
intimacy until death separated them. Their early hardships 
were similar, and their experience of captivity by the Indians 
was the same. These three men were captured during the war 
of the Revolution, near Ticonderoga, and after a captivity of 
about three months were liberated, by exchange, on the last 
Wednesday of May, election day in Massachusetts ; and an- 
nually afterwards they celebrated that event by a feast which 
they called the Feast of Purim. Alternately at each other's 
houses the feast was year by year prepared, when the three men, 
with their wives, breakfasted together, and at dinner all the 
children and grandchildren were assembled, with such neigh- 
bors and friends as they chose to invite to partake at tables that 

53 



418 



groaned with smoking meats, pudding, and pies, such as wives 
of those days prepared to grace the festive board. After the 
repast they gave themselves up to shooting at targets, pitching 
of quoits, wrestling, running, and such other sports as were in 
vogue at that period. And thus these families were strongly 
bound to each other, living in unbroken friendship, and aiding 
each in a variety of ways in subduing the forests, in multiply- 
ing their domestic comforts, and promoting the happiness of the 
community. 

Esquire Caldwell was an energetic man, qualified for trans- 
acting business, with which he was often entrusted ; he was 
intelligent beyond many of his contemporaries, and loved to give 
and receive a joke ; a kind neighbor and a true patriot ; and in 
Revolutionary times he was a terror to evildoers ; and with his 
two friends, Campbell and Warren, often made the conclaves 
of treasonable Tories disperse like chaff before the wind. 

Esquire Caldwell's children were Elizabeth, Mary Ann, 
Solomon Moor, Alexander, Sarah, Jacob, Hannah, and James. 
Alexander was born February 4, 1773, and settled near his 
father. 

Dea. William Moor. — He was one of a large family in Lon- 
donderry, and came to New Boston among its earliest settlers. 
Allen Moor, who first settled in the north part of the town, and 
subsequently in the southeast, on a tract of land now owned 
by R. B. Cochrane, was his brother, and died unmarried, leaving 
a highly-productive farm to a relative. Dea. William Moor 
settled the farm now owned by Calvin Fuller, in the western 
part of the town. His children were Thomas, Robert, Mar- 
tha, Molly, John, George, William, Hannah, Tristram, Eliza- 
beth, and Anna. He moved into New Brunswick, near Passa- 
maquoddy Bay, about 1786, and the river St. Croix ; Alexan- 
der McAllister, Peter, James, and John Cristy, and some others 
accompanied, or soon after followed him. Inducements were 
held out to those in the States who had not sympathized with 
the Revolutionary movements, to settle there, and these men 
availed themselves of the flattering though partially deceitful 
proffers. Dea. Moor was one of the first elders in the Presby- 
terian Church, and possessed a competence, and reared an 
interesting family. 



419 



Mrs. Moor was a resolute, high-spirited woman, and encour- 
aged her husband in going into that new settlement, where they 
both died. A daughter of their son John is the present wife of 
Daniel Campbell, Esq. 

Capt. Joseph Lamson. — He was son of Jonathan, who was 
son of William, who was son of William, Danish in origin. 
This last William emigrated to this country in the year 1637, 
and settled in what is now called Hamilton, Mass. Jonathan 
was born in 1720, and died Aug. 1G, 1808. His wife, Anna 
Whipple, died Aug. 29, 1791. Their children were : William, 
born 1745, and died Nov., 1800 ; Jonathan, born Aug. 3, 1747, 
and died Sept. 28, 1825 ; Francis, born Oct. 4, 1749, and died 
May 13, 1831 ; Nathaniel, born June, 1751, and died May 13, 
1806 ; Lydia, born Aug. 4, 1753, and died Aug. 25, 1753 ; 
Anna, born Aug. 4, 1753, and died Feb., 1835 ; Benjamin, horn 
June 7, 1755, lost at sea June, 1780 ; Lydia, born June 20, 
1757, and died Jan. 27, 1759 ; Joseph, born Oct. 22, 1759 ; 
Lydia, born Oct. 22, 1729, and died Dec. 28, 1759 ; a child, 
born Oct. 7, 1761 ; and Asa, born June 20, 1764, and perished 
at sea. 

William married Mary Lummus, of Hamilton, Mass., and 
settled in Mont Vernon, and died in 1800, his son William suc- 
ceeding him on the homestead, which is in possession of Wil- 
liam O. Lamson, the grandson of William the first ; Jonathan 
lived and died on the homestead in Hamilton ; Francis settled 
in Beverly, Mass., being a hatter by trade ; Nathaniel was a 
merchant, and died in Beverly ; Anna married Edward Patch ; 
Asa lived in Beverly, Mass. 

Mr. Joseph Lamson came to New Boston in 1787, having 
married Sarah Patch Sept. 8, 1784, and bought the farm settled 
by Daniel McAllister. He had followed the sea for several 
years, and served in the war of the Revolution. He was in the 
battles of Bennington and Stillwater ; served as a privateer on 
the sea. He was one among the number who threw the tea 
overboard in Boston harbor in 1773. After peace was restored 
he continued the occupation of seaman, until he removed with 
his family to New Boston, where he resided at his death, Nov. 
12, 1843, at the age of 84 years. 

He was a man of good sense and sound judgment. Having 



420 



been a close observer of men and things in foreign countries, 
he always had a fund of information at command for all classes. 
Being an upright and conscientious man, he possessed the con- 
fidence of his neighbors, and those with whom he had business 
transactions. He was greatly endeared to his family and friends 
for his many social qualities, and was tenderly loved and 
respected by his grandchildren, always giving them a cordial 
welcome to his fireside and table. He was a great reader, 
especially of the Bible, making it a daily practice to read a 
portion of it, with Scott's comments, usually adding his own. 
The Sabbath he sacredly observed. For many years he was in 
the daily habit of rendering thanks to the great Giver, and 
imploring a continuance of his many favors. Having a reten- 
tive memory, the history he had read in early life was a great 
source of pleasure to him in his declining years. 

His wife died March 25, 1856, aged 91. Mrs. Lamson was 
a superior lady, highly intelligent, and cultivated in her man- 
ners. Until her death she received and read a weekly journal, 
— " The Farmer's Cabinet," published at Amherst, — and never 
allowed the world, with its inventions, improvements, and rev- 
olutions to leave her in the rear. She was young at ninety- 
one, with the vivacity and freshness of youth, adorned with the 
graces of sincere piety, and in her death was witnessed a blessed 
triumph of grace. 

Their children were : Sally, born June 3, 1786, who died Aug. 
25, 1848 ; Polly H.,born Feb. 4, 1788 ; Joseph, born April 22, 
1790, lost at sea 1813 ; John, born March 15, 1793 ; Asa, born 
Oct. 17, 1795 ; and Theresa, born Sept. 6, 1797. 

Sally died unmarried, but not unlamented ; her piety was 
attractive, and while it adorned her it blessed others, and grace 
gave her the victory. 

Asa married Sally D. Locke, of Andover, Mass., Dec. 12, 
1826. He lived, where Mr. Jaquith resides, for many years, 
and died in Andover, Mass., Aug. 24, 1860, leaving four chil- 
dren : Martha D., who married Gabriel H. DeBevoise, a grad- 
uate of Andover Theological Seminary; Samuel L. ; Sarah 
Patch, who became the wife of Rev. Everts Scudder, of Kent, 
Conn., in 1859 ; and Emilina. 

John succeeded his father on the homestead, and married 




J.RihiKurd s Littu 




frn^i Jzft 



&z<<r7^7cr>^- 



421 



Sally Gage, of Merrimac, Feb. 15, 1820. He was commis- 
sioned second lieutenant of the company of cavalry in the 
ninth regiment in 1820, and first lieutenant by Governor S. 
Bell, and as captain bj r Governor D. L. Morrill in 1826, and at 
his own request was honorably discharged in 1829. Capt. 
Lamson's children are : Sarah Theresa, born March 18, 1821 ; 
Joseph Walter, born Nov. 13, 1822 ; Orrilla Angeline, born 
April 13, 1826 ; Ruth A., born May 4, 1828 ; John H., born 
Aug. 13, 1830 ; Mary E. Gage, born Jan. 4, 1823, and died 
Feb. 17, 1853 ; George Frederick, born Sept. 5, 1837, and died 
July 10, 1863, at Baton Rouge, La., member of the Ninth 
Regiment N. H. Vols. ; Sarah Theresa married Abram Wason 
Feb. 22, 1843, and they have one son, Eugene ; Joseph W. 
married Ann Elizabeth Pearson Nov. 3, 1852, and lives in Man- 
chester ; Ruth A. married Winthrop G. Harrington Nov. 3, 
1852, and lives in Cambridgeport, Mass., their children being 
Mary E. G., John Lamson, Sarah R., and George E. ; John H. 
married Elmira W. Sargent Aug. 3, 1853, and lives in New 
Boston, their children being Joseph W., Mary E., and Emma H. 

Mary E. (daughter of Capt. Lamson) died Feb. 17, 1853, an 
estimable young lady, of rare piety and mental endowments. 

Daniel Dane. — He came to New Boston from Ipswich, Mass., 
in 1780, son of Daniel, who died 1768, aged 52, and was born 
April 29, 1716, his wife being Abigail Burnham, born in 1717, 
their children being : Abigail, who was born Dec. 1, 1740, lived 
and died in Ipswich, her second husband being a Mr. Patch ; 
Lydia, born Dec. 7, 1741, and married Thomas Appleton, and 
lived in Beverly, where she died at the age of 103 ; Daniel, who 
was born Aug. 14, 1743, and died Aug. 7, 1819 ; Samuel, who 
was born Feb. 23, 1745, and died in Beverly of small-pox ; Eliz- 
abeth, born Oct. 4, 1746, who married a Mr. Ellen wood, and 
lived in Beverly ; John, born Nov. 8, 1748, and lived in Bev- 
erly ; Sarah, born Oct. 31, 1750, who married a Mr. Waters, 
and lived in Beverly ; Nathan, born Dec. 27, 1752, was an em- 
inent lawyer, and died in Beverly in 1835 ; Lucy, born Oct. 3, 
1754 ; Joseph and Benjamin, twins, born July 13, 1756 ; Mar- 
tha, born July 6, 1758, marrying for her first husband a Mr. 
Ellenwood, and lived in Ipswich, and for her second husband 
she married Thomas Whipple, and moved to Dunbarton, N. H., 



422 



about 1800, where their descendants may now be found ; Jo- 
seph, born April 29, 1760. 

The foregoing were the brothers and sisters of the Daniel 
Dane who came to New Boston in 1780. He married Sarah, 
daughter of John Goodhue, of Ipswich, Mass., and bought the 
farm settled by David Scoby, where his son, Dea. Samuel Dane 
now lives. He was a man of much energy and decision of 
character, and was a steadfast friend of the Presbyterian 
Church, of which he was a member. 

His children were : Sarah, born Nov. 20, 1771, who married 
Andrew Taylor, and lived in Bennington, having three chil- 
dren, Sarah, Daniel, and "William, she dying March 28, 1798 ; 
Daniel, born Sept. 17, 1773, and died young ; Elizabeth, born 
April 13, 1775, and died young ; Daniel, born Sept. 13, 1776, 
married Nancy Aiken, of Deering, and lived in New Boston, 
where he died in May, 1834, leaving four children, Nathan, 
Sally, Hammond, and Nancy ; Elizabeth, born Jan, 33, 1779, 
and married Abner Starrett, of Prancestown, and is now living 
in China, Me., having seven children, Abner, Daniel, William, 
Betsey, Lucinda, Sarah and David ; Samuel, born March 19, 
1781 ; John died an infant ; John, born April, 29, 1784, mar- 
ried Betsey Giddings, and died in New York, leaving children, 
John, Polly, Betsey, Ursula, Horace, Joseph, Daniel, Otis, and 
Oliver ; Polly, born Oct. 6, 1786, married Amasa Lewis, of 
Lyndeborough, and lives in Medforcl, Mass., having children, 
Samuel, Amasa, Aaron, Sally, Mary, Elizabeth, Abagail, Julia, 
Horace, and Almina ; Joanna, born Oct. 1, 1789, married Dan- 
iel Dodge, and lives in New Boston, their children being Al- 
bert, who died young ; Hiram, who married for his first wife 
Olive Butterfield, of Francestown, by whom he had one child, 
and for his second wife Abigail, daughter of Greenough Mar- 
den, by whom he has children : Polly, who became the wife 
of the late Cummings Cross, and has one daughter, and Sarah, 
who married James Hobby, of Charlestown, Mass. ; Lucy, 
(daughter of Daniel Dane) was born Dec. 7, 1791, and mar- 
ried Clark Crombie, and they live in South Reading, Mass., 
having four children. 

Dea. Samuel Dane. — He was formerly better known as 
Colonel Dane, and was born March 19, 1781, inheriting the 



423 



homestead. He married, Dec. 19, 1805, Lucy, daughter of 
Benjamin Dean, of Francestovvn, by whom he lias had eight 
children ; Abner, born Nov. 28, 1806, and married, June 9, 
1840, Louisa, daughter of the late Abner Dodge, and lives in 
Nashua ; Rodney, born Sept. 5, 1808, married, July 11, 1837, 
Emily, daughter of James Ridgeway, of Nashua, where he 
now lives ; Almina, born Sept. 13, 1810, married, April 25, 
1844, Ebenezer Goodhue, of Hancock, and he died in Nashua 
Oct. 10, 1862 ; Elizabeth B., born June 6, 1812, and married 
Butler Trull May 22, 1845, and lives in Decatur, Illinois, 
having two children, Emily Ann and Mary Elizabeth ; Mary, 
born April 2, 1814 ; Lucy, born June 11, 1816, and became 
the wife of Horace Langdell April 29, 1856, and has one 
child, Sabrina ; Samuel, born April 19, 1818, lives with his 
father, and married, Nov. 15, 1849, Mary B., daughter of Ab- 
ner Dodge, and they have had three children, Moses Atwood, 
Walter Franklin, and Willie Francis; Sabrina A., born April 
6, 1820, married, Sept. 25, 1845, William Taylor, and died 
July 8, 1851, having one son, William Henry. 

Robert Hogg. — He came from the north of Ireland, when 
about twenty-two years old. Was born Feb. 25, 1732 ; his 
father's name was James. Robert Hogg married Margaret, 
daughter of Samuel Gregg, of Londonderry ; her mother was 
Mary Moor. Mrs. Hogg died about five years after the death 
of her youngest child, of consumption, aged 55 or 56 ; and 
Mr. Hogg died Jan. 23, 1795 ; both he and his wife were mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church, and were highly esteemed 
for their consistent piety. Robert Hogg came to New Boston 
in 1764, and purchased three lots of land, including the farms 
of Solomon and Israel Dodge and John Cochran, and built 
his house on the hill just in the rear of Solomon Dodge's 
house, and there he and his wife died. 

Their children were thirteen in number, some dying young ; 
Mary married Tobias Butler, a school teacher, and they lived 
near her father's for awhile, and then moved to Antrim, and 
subsequently to Hillsborough, where they died, leaving several 
children — Susan, James, Robert, Margaret, Samuel, Joseph, 
Thomas, John, and Nancy. 

James, son of Robert, married Jennet Morrison, and moved 



424 



to Francestown, then to Ac worth, and subsequently to War- 
rensville, Ohio. 

William married Elizabeth Ferson, and lived where Mrs. 
Giddings resides, but subsequently moved to Moretown, Yt., 
where they died. Nancy married Thomas Patterson, and died 
in Ohio. John married Polly Brown, and died in Plainfield ; 
Margaret married Joseph Cochran, afterwards a deacon in the 
Presbyterian Church, and lived where their son John now 
resides. 

Robert married Elenor Clark, and died in Alstead. Sarah 
married Stephen Ferson, and lived where Mr. John Dodge 
resides. They had an interesting family of children, but all 
died young save one, who is an idiot. He became poor through 
intemperance, and died at the poor-farm July 3, 1863, his 
wife dying some years previous. Samuel married and lived in 
Walpole. Betsey married Samuel Fisher, and settled in West- 
ern New York, and subsequently in Pennsylvania. 

Abner Hogg. — He was the son of the foregoing Robert, 
and was born in Londonderry Feb. 15, 1759, and came with 
his father to New Boston when five years old, and assisted his 
father until 1776, when he enlisted in the Revolutionary army, 
his brother James having been in the battle of Bunker Hill 
June 17, 1775 ; Abner enlisted June, 1776, under Capt. 
Barnes, of Lyndeborough, and went to Ticonderoga in the di- 
vision under Gen. Horatio Gates, and returned in December. 
The next spring he enlisted for three years under Capt. Liver- 
more, in the Third New Hampshire Regiment, commanded by 
Col. Alexander Scammel, and went in the vicinity of Ticonder- 
oga, and suffered greatly from sickness and frequent skirmishes 
with the enemy, in one of which he lost everything but his 
life. He was in the battle at Saratoga, and witnessed the 
surrender of Burgoyene. Subsequently, he joined Washing- 
ton's army near Philadelphia, and took-' part in many of those 
signal conflicts that resulted in our Independence. He was in 
ten battles, and returned home in May, 1780. He held the 
office of a sergeant for two years in the army, and drew a 
pension from the General Government from March, 1831, until 
his death. 
Mr. Hogg married, October 21, 1784, Rosamah Ferson, whose 



- C/?e <ZJ}as7<?<pc/ Gome &> V^c/^/^y "L <s e<s 
&6e^ M>&, ^,> ^^ re/e^^ 



425 



mother was born in 1718, during a passage across the ocean, 
and settled, where he died, on the farm now owned by William 
Bently, his grandson. He lived with his wife in great conju- 
gal affection, and reared a respectable family. Mr. Hogg was 
chosen second lieutenant by the town in 1787, at the same 
time that John McLaughlen was elected captain, all doing ser- 
vice in one company, and all the officers being chosen, like 
civil officers, by the town at their legal meetings. In the years 
1844 and 1845 he was elected to represent the town in the 
State Legislature, which he did with credit to himself, though 
more than eighty-five years old. 

Mr. Hogg was for many years a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, but, in 1805, united with the Baptists. His piety was 
sincere and his life blameless, performing with great exactness 
the duties of neighbor, citizen, and christian. Possessed of a 
firm constitution, and being temperate inhabits and calm in his 
temperament, he retained both physical and intellectual powers 
to a remarkable degree, unimpaired even to the last year of his 
life. To him the writer of this is indebted for many facts that 
appear in these pages, which otherwise would have been lost. 
He retained a vivid recollection of many of the earliest settlers, 
and could give their names and the names of their children 
with great exactness, and many incidents in their lives he could 
relate with great accuracy. His conversation was characterized 
by simplicity and sincerity, loving most of all to dwell on topics 
relating to our holy religion. He was in sympathy with Christ, 
and loved his word and ordinances, and died in the comforts of 
a hope of acceptance through the merits of Jesus October 16, 
1856, aged ninety-seven years, eight months, and one day. 

The following account of his children was given by Mr. 
Hogg himself: Sarah F., born July 26, 1785, and died Decem- 
ber 17, 1842 ; Robert, born June 25, 1787, married, December 
26, 1811, Joanna, daughter of Livermore Langdell, and died 
November 3, 1852, having taken, as did some of his brothers, 
the name of Bently ; his children being three daughters, one of 
whom, Abagail, became the wife of Hiram Lull, and lives on 
the first setlled farm in New Boston, settled by Thos. Smith, in 
the east part of the town — and two sons : William, with whom 
Mr. Abner Hogg died, and Abner, who died in 1855 ; Hannah, 

54 



426 



born July 5, 1790, and died the same year ; Hannah, born 
October 17, 1792, and married Stephen Bennet; Jennet F., 
born June 9, 1799, married Asa Andrews, and lives in John- 
son, Vt., having four children: Polly L., born July 2,1802, 
married Samuel Andrews, and lives in Johnson, Vt. ; Rebecca, 
born May 11, 1806, and died September 12, 1807 ; Sarah, the 
oldest daughter, married David Tewksbury, and lived in New 
Boston. 

Amos Wood Tewksbury, Esq. — His father, David, was born 
September 12, 1776, the son of Henry and Hannah C. Tewks- 
bury, of Weare, and married April 3, 1797, Betsey, daughter 
of Moses Lull, of Weare, and settled in New Boston in 1800, on 
the farm now owned by his son, D. A. Tewksbury. His wife 
died May 30, 1809, and he married, October 27, 1811, Sarah, 
daughter of Abner Hogg, who died December 17, 1842, and 
for his third wife he married, November 5, 1844, Mrs. Abagail 
George, daughter of James and Mary McMillen. Mr. Tewks- 
bury died March 22, 1855. His children by his first wife were : 
Amos Wood, Nancy, who became the wife of John Smith, son 
of the late Dea. Thomas Smith, and James, Betsey, and David, 
who died young, and Dorothy, who married David Jones, of 
Merrimac, and died in 1836. By his second wife he had Eliza, 
who married Joseph Andrews, and died in 1856 ; Rozeann, 
who married David Jones, and resides in Merrimac ; Mary 
Andrews, who became the wife of Joseph A. Dodge, and they 
live in Plymouth ; Hannah Bennett, who married John F. 
Kennard, and lives in Merrimac ; Jane Andrews, who married 
Lewis M. Lull, and they reside in Woburn, Mass. ; Harriett 
Newell, who married Samuel G. Ohamberlin, and settled in 
Merrimac ; and David A., who married Adaline Brown, and 
resides on the homestead. 

Amos Wood Tewksbury, first child of David, was born July 
30, 1798, and married, May 13, 1823, Abigail Balch, who died 
October 26, 1826, her two children dying very young. Mr. 
Tewksbury married for his second wife, November 20, 1828, 
Annis Campbell, daughter of Robert Cochran ; and their chil- 
dren are : Amos Bradford, who married September 6, 1860 ; 
Martha S. Stedman, of Randolph, Vt., who died May 7, 1863 ; 
Martin Atwood, Emiline Antoinette, and Henry Winslow. 




J 







O 



<y 



J^VritmA/rHt 



427 

Mr. Tewksbury commenced business as a merchant in 1826, 
in the " Upper Village " of New Boston, where he remained ten 
years, that being the centre of business for the town. But a 
village having sprung up which is now known as the " Lower 
Village," a few rods from the former on the South Branch, 
he transferred his merchandise to that, where he continued in 
trade eighteen years, gaining by his strict integrity and exten- 
sive business. He served as town clerk twelve years, and 
treasurer ten years, and was treasurer and collector of the 
Presbyterian society sixteen years, and never failed during that 
whole period to have the money ready for his pastor the very 
day it was semiannually due. He was treasurer and collector 
for the New Boston Fire Insurance Company fourteen years. 

Mr. Tewksbury removed from New Boston to Randolph, Vt., 
in the year 1855, successfully prosecuting business under the 
firm of A. W. Tewksbury and Sons. 

David Starrett. — He was born in Derryfield, now Man- 
chester, May 9, 1763, being a son of David Starrett, and died 
November 29, 1839. He married Mary Langdell August 27, 
1788, for his first wife, born February 27, 1772, and died May 
18, 1817, and for his second, a cousin of his first, Abigail Lang- 
dell (born September 29, 1776, and died September 2, 1844), 
December 1, 1818. His children were : a daughter born Dec. 
1788, and died ; William L., a son who died young ; Betsey, 
born March 20, 1793, and married Samuel Todd, of Frances- 
town, and lives in New Boston ; Jane, who died young ; Mary, 
born July 20, 1797, and died January 29, 1832, being the wife 
of Captain Daniel McLane ; David, born July 14, 1799, and 
died March 13, 1845 ; Jane, born June 4, 1801, married Wil- 
liam Taylor, and lives in Nashua ; Sabrina, born September 20, 
1803, married for her first husband Isaac Patch, of Francestown, 
for her second Daniel Taylor, of Nashua ; Levi, born March 19, 
1806 ; Mark, born January 22, 1808, and lives in Nashua, his 
wife being Betsey Goodale, of Deering ; William, born Sept. 
26, 1809, and married Hannah Gilbert, of Francestown ; Sally, 
born August 12, 1811, and married William Lamson, and they 
live in Metamora, Illinois ; Roxanna, born June 8, 1813, and 
died April 5, 1815 ; Caroline, born July 10, 1815, and married 
Frederick Heirsch, of Metamoca, 111. 



428 



William L., the second child of David Starrett, was born May 
9, 1790, and died of hydrophobia August 16, 1809. The fol- 
lowing notice of the event was written by the Rev. Moses Brad- 
ford, of Francestown. " Some time in the month of June last 
Mr. Starrett was bit by a fox, from which he suspected no 
harm, as it appeared to be a wound of no consequence. He 
continued about his domestic business as usual, until about the 
8th or 10th of August following, when he began to complain 
of sleepless nights and other symptoms of the above disorder. 
The Monday before he died his complaint became much more 
alarming, at which time he called on a neighboring physician, 
who not being acquainted with the disorder, mistook it for a 
fever of the malignant kind ; in this situation he continued 
(except with aggravated symptoms of the hydrophobia) until 
Wednesday, the 16th, when a second physician was called, who 
immediately informed the patient together with the family what 
his disorder was — likewise of the imminent danger he was in, 
but too late ; medical assistance at this time was equally as im- 
potent as the tears of weeping friends. The sight of water was 
at this time very dreadful to the patient ; to see it poured from 
one vessel to another threw him into the utmost horror of mind 
as well as distress of body ; being asked by the physician what 
effect it had, or how it made him feel, he replied that one drop 
appeared sufficient to drown him. At this stage of the disorder 
the severity of convulsions threatened the immediate dissolu- 
tion of the body ; yet his reason continued good to the last. 
He exhibited a firm reliance on the mercy of God through the 
merits of his son Jesus Christ for salvation beyond the grave, 
and spoke very sensibly to a number of his friends and ac- 
quaintance who were spectators of the awful scene, and having 
committed his soul into the arms of him, who through death 
hath conquered the power of death, he launched into the invisi- 
ble world. He was a youth much respected and beloved by 
the whole circle of his friends and acquaintance, and died 
lamented by all who knew him." 

Levi, son of David Starrett, married Mehittable Gage, of 
Merrimac, and inherited the homestead, but in 1864 removed 
to North Andover, Mass. Their children are : David Clifton, 
who married Maria J. Dennison, of Francestown ; Sarah ; an 



429 



infant son ; Martin Van Bnren, who marrioil Kohecca .lane 
Philbrick, oi* Manchester ; Caroline, who married John J\I. 
Tuttle, of Weare; Henry Gage, and Levi Efcawson. 

Tradition has it that Mr. Starrett's ancestor, who came ko 
this country, was an officer in the Scotch Army. Being lorn 
time in England, a lady belonging to the nobility became en- 
amored with him, and resolved to marry him. This not being 
allowed by her parents, they clandestinely sailed for New Eng- 
land, where they were married, and settled near Boston, and 
most of their descendants went to Thomaston, Me., while one son, 
David, settled in Derryfield, now Manchester; and another, 
William, settled in Francestown, and ultimately David removed 
ta Francestown also. 

Betsey, daughter of David Starrett, married Samuel Todd 
June 7, 1814, and lives in New Boston. She was horn 
March 20, 17915, and Mr. Todd November II, L788. Their 
children are: An infant son; Mary S., horn September 28, 
1816, became the wife of Luther Colburn August 22, 1841, 
and left two children, Martin L., and Mary. lane; Harriet A., 
born September 14, 1814, became the wife of David Gregg, 
and her children are: Almus D., Margaret, who became the 
wife of .James Whipple, and died November, 18G2 ; Caroline, 
and Harriet; Mark, horn September 16, L820, married Rachel 
Mclntire, of Lyndehorough, and died August 23, 1860, leav- 
ing one son, George E. ; James Page, born Nov. 24, 1822, 
married Abigail Desire A., daughter of John Loring, Dec. 30, 
1852, and their children are: Mary Alice, James, Arthur, 
George Loring, Caroline Lizzie, and Frank P. ; David S., born 
October 25,1824, married Rachel Colburn, and alter her death 
Martha Dean, of Francestown, by whom he has two children, 
Charles and Harriet. 

Caroline S., born September 26, 1827, married Horace Lang- 
dell, and died, leaving one child, Austin. 

John M., born November 22, 1829, and died September 6, 
1832 ; Sarah E., born August 9, 1833,married (Jeorge Upham, 
lives in Goffstown, and has two children, Frederick and Caro- 
line. 

John, born September 6, 1835, married Elizabeth M. Fletcher, 
resides in New Boston, and has one child ; Mr. Samuel Todd 



430 



was son of James, who was born in Peterborough ; he came 
here about forty years ago. 

John Lamson. — Rev. Dr. Lamson was requested to furnish 
facts respecting his ancestors. Instead of arranging them in 
our usual form, we shall give the entire letter ; otherwise its 
simplicity and touching allusions would be lost. 

Rev. Mr. Cogswell. 

Dear Sir : New Boston is a name which revives the earliest and most 
cherished memories of my childhood. It was the home of my grandparents, 
and of my father during his childhood and early youth, and the place where 
I passed the larger portion of a year when quite a child. Having no family 
records, and being the only descendant of the family living in this part of 
the country, I can only give such general statements as linger in my memory. 

My grandfather was John Lamson, his wife was Elizabeth Rea, of Tops- 
field. What year they removed to New Boston I am unable to state, though 
it is my impression it was soon after their marriage. He was for some years 
an innkeeper, and I think pursued some other branch of business. They 
had five children, John, Benjamin, Betsey, William, and Joseph. These 
all lived to be over twenty years of age, and all died under thirty. My 
father, William Lamson, came when a lad to Danvers, Mass., and was ap- 
prenticed to Mr. Caleb Oakes, a shoe manufacturer. Soon after his majority 
he was married to Sally Richardson, of Danvers. They had three children, 
Betsey, William, and Joseph. After his marriage, my father became master 
of a small trading vessel, which ran between Salem, Mass., and Baltimore, 
Md., and it was on one of the return voyages that, overtaken with a terrific 
gale, he and his vessel and all on board were lost. This was when I was in 
my third year. A year afterwards my mother, with her three children, 
went to New Boston, and passed a year with my grandmother, then a widow, 
and childless, having lost four of her children by consumption, and my 
father by shipwreck. It is almost incredible to myself that, after a lapse of 
nearly fifty years, I retain so vivid a recollection of the scenery of the place, 
and of many of the circumstances of my brief residence there. It seems 
to me, if I were an artist, I could sketch a very faithful outline of the build- 
ings on the old Lamson place there, as they then were. The names of the 
families in the neighborhood I still remember. The Sabbaths, the general 
appearance of the old church, and of the congregation, come back to me, as 
I write, with a strange vividness. There were then but few, if any carriages 
in the town, and a large portion of the people, both men and women, came 
to church on horseback. My mother used to take me on the horse with 
her. There it was that I received my first impressions of the sacredness of 
the Sabbath, probably there that I for the first time attended church. 

But how great the changes since the days I am now recalling ! I have now 
been for twenty-eight years a preacher of the gospel, and have outlived 
nearly every member, if not every one, of the family on my father's side. 
My grandmother lived to hear me preach one sermon, the first I ever 



431 

preached, and died shortly afterwards, in Danvers. My sister Betsey was 
married to Mr. Allen Jacobs, of Danvers, and died a year after her marriage, 
leaving an infant that survived his mother but a few years. My brother 
Joseph went some twelve years since to California, where, if living, he still is. 
I have been blessed with one son, an only and noble child. Soon after the 
opening of the present war he entered the service of the country, in the 
paymaster's department, and on the fourth of last August was drowned by 
the burning of the steamer Ruth, on the Mississippi River, between Cairo 
and Memphis. In his death perished the only hope of perpetuating the 
family name. His body sleeps in the Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, 
Mass. 

I am glad to know you are preparing a memorial volume of the town of 
New Boston, the first century of whose history has just closed. If you can 
use this, or any portion of it, it will give me pleasure to have thus contributed 
to place the names of my ancestor's among the names of those with whom 
they once lived. Very respectfully yours, 

Brookline, Mass., 1864. WILLIAM LAMSON. 

Marshall Adams. — A native of Rmdge, N. H., removed 
to New Boston April 18, 1823, and rented the clothing shop 
formerly occupied by John Kelso, situated in the Lower Vil- 
lage, which then contained but seven small dwelling-houses, 
one grist-mill, one clothing and carding-mill, one saw-mill, and 
one blacksmith shop, where for three years he was engaged in 
the dyeing and clothing business, and also the manufacture of 
woollen cloth. In 1826 he purchased the clothing shop of 
John Gage, situated in the west part of the town, where he 
continued in the wool-carding, dyeing, and clothing business 
till 1852, since which he has been engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits. In May, 1826, he married Sarah G. Richards, a native 
of Newton, Mass. 

The following are their children : Marshall C., who married, 
April 19, 1853, Susan B. Patterson, of Danvers, Mass., and 
resides at Jeffrey, N. H. ; Sarah B., who married, Oct. 27, 
1856, Horace Pettee, Esq., and resides at Manchester, N. H. ; 
William R., who graduated at Dartmouth, in the Class of 
1859, now Principal of the High School at Alton, 111., and 
married, Sept. 3, 1861, Ellen D. Richmond, of Rochester, Vt., 
then a teacher in the Female Seminary at Carlinville, 111. ; 
John R., who married, May 1, 1859, Jennie R. Cahart, of 
Natick, Mass., and now resides at Natick, Mass. ; Frances B., 
who married, Oct. 29, 1858, Holmes R. Pettee, and resides in 



432 



Manchester, N. H. ; Mary N. ; Joseph G., who married, May 
2, 1859, Martha J. Perry, of Natick, Mass., and resides at 
Natick, Mass. 

Henry P., who married, July 3, 1861, Fannie B. Patterson, 
of Danvers,Mass. He entered the service of his country July 
29, 1861, in the 13th Regt. Mass. Yol. ; was wounded in the 
battle of Antietam Sept. 15, 1862. Received his discharge 
March, 1863, and resides at Manchester, N. H. 

Charlotte R. ; James C, who entered the service of his 
country, Sept., 1863, as member of the 39th Regt. Mass. Vol. ; 
Ellen M. ; Charles A. ; and George Albert. 

Of Dea. Adams's thirteen children, not one has died; not 
one is a drunkard ; not one uses tobacco in any of its forms ; 
not one is a Sabbath-breaker, or a profane swearer. Reared 
in his modest dwelling with frugal fare, he has sent them forth 
with minds and hearts well disciplined for any sphere of 
activity, — all professing to be disciples of Jesus Christ. 

John Whipple. — He was born Dec. 30, 1747. Deliver- 
ance, his wife, born Feb. 15, 1746 ; early settled in New Bos- 
ton, where they had nine children, six sons and three daugh- 
ters. 

Jerusha was born Oct. 17, 1768, married Jacob Bennett, 
of New Boston, and died Sept. 23, 1839, being 71 years a resi- 
dent of New Boston, and living to see seven children arrive to 
the age of manhood, several of whom are married and pleas- 
antly situated in their native town. Stephen, born Dec. 16, 
1770, and died a young man. 

Paul, born July 11, 1773, married Betsey Woodbury, by 
whom he had fourteen children. 

John, born April 29, 1776. For many years a skilful phy- 
sician, married Hannah Dodge ; died Nov. 4, 1836, leaving a 
widow but no children. 

Saloma, born April 2, 1778, died July 3, 1779. 

Saloma, born June 24, 1780, married Rev. Thomas Rand, 
of Springfield, Mass., where many of her descendants may 
now be found. 

Aaron, born Sept. 11, 1782, died July 5, 1783. Aaron 2d, 
born Jan. 13, 1787, died Nov. 7, 1792. 

Robert, born March 13, 1790. For many years a very sue- 



433 



cessful physician and surgeon in Barre, Vt. ; afterwards re- 
turned to New Boston, where he still resides. 

The children of John and Betsey Whipple, with their de- 
scendants : 

Betsey, born May 26, 1796 ; died at Francestown Nov., 
1855, leaving a husband and two daughters, both married ; 
Lucy, born April 12, 1798, married Mark Langdell, of Mont 
Vernon, by whom she had nine children ; "William, the young- 
est, being one of the first to volunteer to defend our country's 
flag in the rebellion of 1861. Twice has he been wounded, 
but is now a veteran in the Army of the Potomac. 

Stephen, born March 4, 1800, married Hannah Kingsbury, 
of Francestown. 

Hannah, born Jan. 27, 1802. For several years a resident 
of Lowell, Mass. ; was early left a widow, with no children. 

Saloma, born Feb. 26, 1804, now finds a home with her 
children, having buried three husbands. 

John, born Aug. 31, 1806, married Philantha Reed, of Barre, 
Vermont. 

William Bently, born May 3, 1808 ; died 1854, leaving a 
wife and four children ; the youngest is one of the brave de- 
fenders of his country. 

Aaron, born March 3, 1810 ; married, and lives in Boston, 
Mass. ; has two children, a son and a daughter. 

Mason Woodbury, born Nov. 11, 1811; settled with his 
family in Haverhill, Mass. 

Robert, born May 17, 1813 ; went to Florida, where he died. 

James, born April 8, 1815 ; with wife and three children has 
a home in York, Penn. 

Isaac Adams, born June 9, 1818 ; early fell a victim to con- 
sumption, and died Aug. 30, 1841. 

Maria, born Dec. 7, 1820 ; died Sept. 30, 1836. 

Fidelia, born Aug. 17, 1823 ; married Nelson Shedd ; has a 
family of five children, and resides in Mont Vernon. 

Stephen and John, with their families, have homes in their 
native town. Joseph, the only child of Stephen, married, Jan. 
19, 1864, Sarah Chandler, and is an enterprising merchant in 
New Boston. 

John's family is as follows : Hannah, married John McLane ; 

55 



434 



has four children, a daughter and three sons : Philantha, a well- 
known school-teacher ; John, James, Paul, and Reed, inheriting 
from their father a love of military discipline, and with hearts 
glowing with true patriotism, early engaged in defending the 
" Flag of our Union ; " James, Paul, and Reed enlisting May, 
1861, for three months, and served their term ; Paul reenlisted 
Nov., 1861, in the 7th Regiment N. H. Volunteers, was severely 
wounded in the foot at the siege of Fort Wagner, S. C, July 
18, 1863, but he soon joined his regiment ; he reenlisted Feb., 
1864, and is now in the Army of the Potomac. John enlisted 
in the 11th N. H. Yol. Regiment Sept., 1862, fought bravely 
at the battle of Fredericksburg, Ya., was among the first of his 
regiment to enter Yicksburg and Jackson, Miss. At Knox- 
ville, Tenn., Nov. 23, 1863, while skirmishing, was taken pris- 
oner by the rebels, since which nothing has been heard from 
him. James married Margie, eldest daughter of David Gregg, 
of New Boston, who soon after died. Reed lives in Boston, 
Mass. Mary A. remains at home. Willie, born Sept. 29,1849, 
died Nov. 24, 1856. 

Mr. Jacob Hooper came to New Boston about the year 1775, 
from Manchester, Mass. He went into the forest and prepared 
a comfortable home for his little family before moving them 
hither. He was an ingenious and industrious man, of sound 
judgment ; and in process of time made his backwoods home a 
pleasant and attractive spot, and secured for himself a lasting 
reputation for uprightness of character, dying lamented both 
by the church and community. He had one brother who served 
in the war of the Revolution, and was killed in the battle of 
Bennington. 

Mr. Hooper was three times married : by his first wife, Mary 
Obear, of Beverly, he had two children ; by his second, Ruth 
Wadsworth, of Lyndeboro', he had eight. His last wife was the 
widow of Lieut. Solomon Dodge, who lived to the advanced age 
of 93 years. Only three of his children lived to arrive at ma- 
turity. His daughter Mary married Luther Richards, and 
settled in New Boston. His son Thomas married Alice Dodge, 
daughter of Lieut. Solomon Dodge, and settled in Johnson, Yt. 
His eldest son Jacob married Sarah Dodge, daughter of Lieut. 
Solomon Dodge, and remained at home, providing amply for 



435 



the wants of his parents and family, and proving himself a wor- 
thy successor of his father. As a citizen he was very industri- 
ous and highly trustworthy, receiving many assurances of the 
confidence of his fellow-citizens. He was a model farmer in 
neatness and thrift. His house was always an abode of gener- 
ous hospitality, where want received a ready response. In his 
family lie was affectionate and forbearing, happy in making 
others happy. 

He had eight children, only five of whom survive him. Two 
daughters settled in New Boston ; one of whom became the 
wife of Zechariah Morgan, the other married Dea. S. L. Cristy ; 
two of them settled in Michigan, and one resides in Canterbury. 
The youngest son, George, married and settled in Johnson, Vt., 
while the eldest son, Levi, inherits the homestead. Mary mar- 
ried Mr. Orvis, and lived in Manchester, where he died ; and 
she now resides in New Boston. 

Livermore Langdell. — William Langdell, born in England, 
came to America ; married Marie Witridge, of Beverly, Mass., 
and settled in Beverly. He followed the sea for several years, 
then removed to Mont Vernon, N. H., with his son Joseph. 
Had five sons, two of whom were lost at sea in one vessel. He 
afterwards removed to New Boston with his son Livermore, 
where he died 1799. His wife died April, 1816. 

Livermore, his son, was born in Beverly, Mass., and married 
Abigail Dodge, of Beverly. He followed the sea a few years, 
and was the captain's first mate after the war of the Revolution 
broke out. He removed to New Boston in 1771, and first set- 
tled where Zechariah Morgan lives ; built the first saw and grist 
mill in that part of the town ; sold and bought where his son 
Samuel lives, and there spent the remainder of his days. He 
volunteered, and was at Saratoga when Gen. Burgoyne surren- 
dered to Gen. Gates. He was one of the first deacons of the 
Baptist Church in New Boston, and died May, 1826. He had 
twelve children. The eldest, Abigail, married David Starrett, 
of New Boston ; she died Sept. 2, 1844 ; Jane Langdell died in 
Salem, Mass., 1836 ; Mary Langdell married Thomas Farnum, 
settled in Johnson, Vt., and died April, 1828 ; Sarah Langdell 
married William Langdell, settled in Johnson, Vt., and died 
Sept. 4, 1863 ; William Langdell married Marie Aiken, of Deer- 



436 



ing, N. EL, settled in New Boston, afterwards removed to 
Nashua, and died in New Boston July, 1862 ; his wife died 
Aug., 1855 ; Joanna Langdell married Robert Hogg, only son 
of Abner Hogg, died May, 1844 ; Lucy Langdell married Pium 
Dodge, of Salem, Mass., and is still living there ; Rebecca Lang- 
dell married Ezra Langdell, settled in Mont Vernon, and 
died Jan., 1855 ; Livermore Langdell married Fannie Fisher, 
of Francestown, and settled in New Boston ; Betsie Langdell 
died April, 1816, aged 19 years ; Jacob Langdell was drowned 
in Haunted Pond, in Francestown, July 11, 1813, aged 12 
years ; Samuel Langdell married Caroline Fisher, of Frances- 
town, and settled in New Boston. 

Livermore Langdell' s family consists of seven children, five 
sons and two daughters ; one son in Lyndeboro', two in Wiscon- 
sin, two sons and two daughters in New Boston. 

Samuel Langdell' s family consisted of nine children, four of 
whom died in their infancy in New Boston. 

Zechariah Morgan. — He was born Aug. 14, 1768. Heph- 
zibah Morgan, his wife, was born Feb. 1, 1764 ; both members 
of the Baptist Church. Mr. Morgan came to town about 1800. 
His children are : 

David, born Jan. 12, 1797, who resides at Andover, Mass. 

Ebenezer, born June 18, 1799, and died July 29, 1836. 

Zechariah, born Dec, 1802. He married Julia A. Fisher 
Oct. 4, 1831, who died Nov., 1835. Two children were the 
issue of this marriage : Harriet W., born July 4, 1832, and 
died Jan. 3, 1834 ; and Austin W., born April 29, 1835. He 
enlisted in the 11th Regiment N. H. Volunteers, and died at 
Knoxville, Tenn., Oct. 27, 1862. 

Zechariah Morgan married his second wife, Hannah W. 
Hooper, Sept. 11, 1836. Their children are : Julia A., born 
Nov. 24, 1837 ; Addie A., born Oct. 28, 1839 ; Edward P., born 
June 12, 1846 ; and Frank B., born June 15, 1849. 

Capt. Joseph Andrews. — He was born in Essex, Mass., April 
23, 1757. He married Margaret Ober, of Manchester, Mass., 
who was born Jan. 22, 1765. Mr. Andrews was a sea captain, 
and came to New Boston in 1790. 

His children were Joseph, Ruth, Israel, Issachar, Daniel, 
Benjamin, Asa, Amos, Isaac, and Samuel. 



437 



Joseph was born Sept. 15, 1782 ; married Jane Adams, and 
settled in Johnson, Vt., where he remained until his death, June 
23, 1862, leaving two sons and four daughters. 

Ruth was born June 29, 1784, became the wife of Joseph 
Manning, settled in Johnson, Vt., and died March 11, 1844, 
leaving one son and three daughters. 

Israel was born Sept. 27, 1786, married, and lives in John- 
son, Vt., having three daughters and four sons. 

Daniel was born April 4, 1792, married, March 8, 1814, Han- 
nah, daughter of Jacob Dodge, of Wenham, Mass., and inher- 
ited her homestead. His children are Hannah D., Jacob, 
Daniel, Bradford, Mary D., and Daniel. Jacob and Daniel 
died young ; Bradford married Ann, daughter of Samuel Kid- 
der, of Francestown, lives in Francestown, and has three chil- 
dren ; Mary D. became the wife of Benjamin D. Stanley, lives 
in New Boston, and has four children ; Daniel lives in New 
Boston, marrying for his first wife, May 1, 1856, Abby Plum- 
mer, and for his second, Nov. 3, 1858, Margaret Ann, daughter 
of Ezekiel Irving, of New Boston. Mrs. Daniel Andrews died 
Dec. 23, 1862, aged 70. 

Benjamin married Mary, daughter of Dea. Joseph Cochran, 
by whom he had two children, Benjamin and Joseph Foster ; 
the former lives in Nashua, and the second is a lieutenant in 
the 1st Regiment New Hampshire Cavalry. This Benjamin 
died some years since in New York. 

Asa married Jane, daughter of the late Abner Hogg, and 
settled in Johnson, Vt., where he yet resides, having two daugh- 
ters and one son. 

Amos married Betsey Fisher, of Francestown, for his first 
wife, and for his second, Abigail Carson, and died Sept. 4, 1854. 

Isaac died young, and Samuel married Polly, daughter of 
Abner Hogg, and lives in Johnson, Vt. 

Capt. Joseph Andrews was of English descent, and followed 
the sea until he came to New Boston. He was in the service of 
William Gray, of Boston, fourteen years. When the war of 
the Revolution began he was returning from the East Indies, 
was captured and carried to Halifax, and for some time impris- 
oned in a fetid dungeon. After his release he commanded a 
vessel in the privateering service until the close of the war. 



438 

He settled in New Boston, on a tract of land now owned by 
Clifton Starrctt, purchasing of Jacob Ober, a brother of his 
wife. Here he lived until his death, Oct. 18, 1834, his wife 
dying June 21, 1829. He was one of the founders of the Bap- 
tist Church in New Boston, was an exemplary christian, and 
reared an interesting family. 

Dea. Issachar Andrews. — He was born October 16, 1789, 
married Abigail Manning October 12, 1811, who was born 
May 12, 1785. His death occurred May 29, 1882, and she 
died January 12, 1857. They had children : Joseph M., born 
March 1, 1813; Issachar, Jr., born August 9, 1815; John 
W., born April 20, 1818 ; Caroline, born June 22, 1820 ; Wm. 
E., died very young: Wm. E., born August 5,1823; Benj. 
F., born January 31, 1825; Cynthia, born April 1, 1827. J. 
M. Andrews married Eliza Tewksbury June 30, 1836, who 
died June 11, 1856 ; their children being Dura P., Lizzie D., 
who died June 6, 1855 ; Sarah T., Willie M., who died March 
13, 1843 ; Nettie H., Hattie C, Emma E. Mr. J. M. Andrews 
married for a second wife Caroline M. Scott, of Greensborough, 
Vt., December 1856. Their children are George S. and 
Charles. 

Issachar Andrews married Betsey Lull December 28, 1841. 
Their children are : Calvin L., who was married August, 1862 ; 
George C, who died September 6, 1883 ; Hellen M., Ada M., 
and Louisa L. 

John W. Andrews married Mary J. Crombie, a native of 
Dublin, May 9, 1843. Their children are : John C. Prissila, 
who died young; Lottie A., and Mary J., who died young; 
Abbie L., Willie R., who died April 13, 1864, and Hattie R. 

Caroline Andrews married Benjamin Goodhue, of Hancock, 
November 23, 1841. Their children are Warner C, Andrew 
P., Cynthia A., Benjamin F., Caroline F., and Eben P. 

William E. Andrews married Lydia A. Knight, of Hancock, 
February 10, 1857. 

Benjamin F. Andrews married Elenor Templeton, of Wilton, 
November 25, 1848. Their children : Eliphabet P., H. Ellen, 
Mary E., Willie F., Jessie F., who died November 15, 1857 ; 
Bertie S., Luis A., and Benjamin. 

Maurice Lyxch. — He married Catherine Shuhan. He was 



439 

educated for a Catholic priest. His son John Lynch was born 
in Newfoundland September 8, 1766, married Alice McMillcn 
November 21, 1789, died February 17, 1843 ; (Alice McMillen 
was born in New Boston June 22, 1771, and died September 
5, 1829). Their children were : Francis, born in Mont Vernon 
September 16, 1790, married Fannie Knowlton April 20, 1815 ; 
Ann, born in Mont Vernon July 27, 1792, died July 29, 1863 ; 
John, born in New Boston April 14, 1794, married Nancy 
Kelso February 14, 1826, died May 22, 1858 ; Alice, born in 
New Boston February 29, 1796, married Moses Woods Oct. 
24, 1816 ; William, born in New Boston May 10, 1798, mar- 
ried Ann Donnan January 31, 1822, died September 16, 1845 ; 
Katharine, born in New Boston June 19, 1800, married Ama- 
zieii Blanchard May 10, 1842, died November 24, 1861; 
Hiram, born in New Boston July 12, 1804, married Martha 
Seaver March 26, 1840 ; Hiam, born in New Boston March 
20, 1802, died September 1, 1813 ; Leonard, born in New 
Boston November 17, 1805, married Eliza Palmer January 
22, 1832, and died July 7, 1850 ; Alfred, born in New Boston 
July 16, 1809, died November 17, 1815. 

Robert Livingston. — He married Zebiah Sargent, of Boston, 
lived in Haverhill, Mass., a few years, then in Londonderry, 
and came to New Boston at the first settlement of the town, 
and settled on the farm now owned by Jonathan Dodge. He 
had ten children, three sons and seven daughters : John, Wil- 
liam, Robert, Mary, Zibiah, Hannah, Ann, Margaret, Jane, and 
Elizabeth. John married Mary Todd, daughter of Colonel An- 
drew Todd, of Londonderry ; William married Mary Ann Boyce, 
of Londonderry ; Robert married Mary Leslie ; John lived in 
Londonderry, then moved to Walpole, and died there. William 
settled on the farm owned by the late Jacob H. Richards ; he 
was a delegate to the convention at Concord, from this town, 
September 22, 1779. Robert served seven years in the Revolu- 
tionary war, and died in this town. Mary married John Car- 
son, and lived and died in New Boston. Zibiah married Daniel 
Boardman, and lived in Lynn, Mass. Hannah married Dea. 
William Moore, and lived on the farm now owned by Calvin 
Fuller. Ann married Josiah Hitchings, and lived in this town 
some time, then moved to New Brunswick. Margaret married 



440 



Josiali Patterson, lived and died in this town. Elizabeth mar- 
ried Abijah Richardson, and lived in "Westford, Mass. ; Wil- 
liam Livingston had no children of his own, but adopted his 
nephew William, son of John Livingston, who lived and died 
in New Boston. John Livingston had eleven children, eight 
sons and three daughters : William and Samuel were the only 
ones that settled in town. William married Mary Warren ; 
Samuel married for his first wife Eunice French, of Maine ; 
after her death he married Hannah Twiss, of New Boston. 
Lucretia Livingston, daughter of Robert Livingston, first mar- 
ried Dr. Reed, of Nashua, after whose death she married Rev. 
Mr. McKay, and they moved to Inverness, Scotland, and finally 
went to Syria as missionaries. Dana Livingston lived in Saco, 
Me. ; John, also, lived there. Robert Leslie married a daughter 
of Dea. Josiah Duncan, of Antrim, and settled there. Gerry 
W., son of William Livingston, lived and died in this town. 
Ephraim W. married Mahala Christie, they now reside in 
Nashua, and their children are : Anstice Bradford, Cynthia C, 
John ; Edward, member of the 8th N. H. V., now in the Army 
of the Potomac; Ephraim W., Charles, for three years in the 
TJ. S. A. ; Carrie J., and George W., now drummer in the 3d 
Regiment N. H. Y., and aged 16. 

Mary T. Livingston married Leonard Colburn, and now re- 
sides in New Boston ; their children are William W., Ephraim 
Warren, Emma Jane, James Leonard, member of the 9th 
Regiment N. H. Y., now in the Army of the Potomac. 

Jane Livingston married Leonard Cutler, and lives in Frank- 
ville, Iowa. John Livingston married Elizabeth Barrett, of 
Nashua, and still resides here; his children are: Gerry W., 
who died in the army at New Orleans September 18, 1853 ; 
Mary Jane ; Adeline F., his wife, died in August, 1841. Samuel 
Livingston had by his first wife the following children : John 
L., Ursula, Alminor, and Mary ; by his second wife, Adeline 
F., David, Nancy, Diantha, Samuel, Benjamin. 

Capt. Gerry Whiting. — He came from Francestown, mar- 
ried Abigail, daughter of Dea. Wm. Starrett, September, 1798. 
Their children were : Julia, who became the wife of Oliver 
Cochran November, 1822 ; Roxanna, who was married to 
David Stone February, 1825 ; Dexter, who married Mary 



441 

Stone April, 1828 ; Harris, who married Mary Dodge in 1832 ; 
Louisa I)., who died; Calvin, who married Abby Btirnham; 
Emily, who married, June, 1855, Dea. Summer L. Cristy ; Mary, 
who died July, 1830 ; Hannah 0., who married James Clark; 
and Abby, who married Walter J. Jaquith in 1849. These 
children all located for a time in Johnson, Vt., except Emily 
and Abby. Capt. Whiting was a man of great business capa- 
city, and was long respected as an upright and worthy citizen, 
and had a highly interesting family of children. He died Nov., 
1827. His wife was an exemplary christian woman ; she died 
April, 1831. 

Wiilliam Woodbury. — Three brothers came from England, 
and settled in Beverly, Mass. Mr. William Woodbury de- 
scended from one of these brothers, and came to New Boston 
about 1785. He settled in the north part of the town, marry- 
ing, and having five children who came to maturity : Dorathy, 
who became the wife of Mr. Walker, and lived in Ackworth, 
and had children ; Hannah, who also married a Mr. Walker, 
and lived in New Boston, and had children, one of whom is Mrs. 
Joshua Woodbury ; Joshua E., who married and settled near 
his father, and had children: Ebenezer K., Joshua E., Hittic, 
who married a Mr. Thomas, of Middleton, Mass., where si to 
now resides ; David, who removed to Mobile, Alabama ; Sallie, 
who married and lived in Wisconsin ; Benjamin Smith, who 
lives in New Boston ; Sallie (daughter of William) died un- 
married ; Benjamin S., who married Sallie B. Jones, daughter 
of Joshua Jones, and lived on the old homestead and had twelve? 
children ; Sabrina, who married Jason Philbrick, of Weare, and 
lives in Sanbornton ; William, who married Rachel P., daughter 
of the late John Shirley, and lives where her father died, being 
the farm formerly owned by Hugh Blair, and has two children : 
liiicetta, who married William B. Symonds, of Weare, and lias 
four children ; Benjamin F., who married Caroline H., daughter 
of Richard Webster, of Concord, and has one daughter, Hettic 
R. W. ; Joshua J., who married Harriet McClure, and resides 
in' New Boston, and has two children ; Eliza .Jane, who mar- 
ried Luther M. Brown, and lives in Minnesota, and has four 
children; Elizabeth Ann, who died young; Harriet R., who 
married Thomas Holmes, and lives in Minnesota ; Frances Ann 

56 



442 



who married Squire G. Eastman, of Weare, and has had five 
children ; Caroline, who married Jesse Clement, of Weare, and 
has two children ; Levi, who married Maria Whitcomb, of 
Warner, and lives in Weare ; Maryett. 

Mr. Benjamin S. Woodbury died December 25, 1846, and his 
widow lives in Weare. 

Samuel Gregg, Esq. — He was the youngest son of Hugh 
Gregg. Was born at New Boston June 9, 1764. In the 
early part of his manhood he was an apprenticed mechanic, 
his father having died when he was quite young. For several 
years he pursued his trade of carpenter and cabinetmaker, but 
relinquished his trade, and gave his attention to farming. He 
occupied many responsible positions in town affairs, and was 
many years Justice of the Peace. 

He married for his first wife, Jane W., daughter of Alex- 
ander Wilson, of New Boston. She was born Nov. 20, 1770, 
and died Dec. 25, 1800. 

They had six children : Jenny, who married Daniel Dodge, 
and lived in Johnson, Vt. ; Elizabeth, who married Robert 
Wilson, and lived in Deering ; Mary, who married Samuel B. 
Waters, and lived in Johnson, Vt. ; Sarah, who married Rob- 
ert McPherson, and now lives in Michigan ; Alexander, who 
married Jane M., daughter of Dea. Robert Clarke, of New 
Boston, and now lives in Medford, Mass. 

He married for his second wife, Lydia Bartlett, of Newbury, 
Mass. ; they had one son, James Bartlett, who married Mary 
Bailey, of Newbury, Mass. His second wife, Lydia B., died in 
New Boston Nov., 1835, and he died in Deering, New Hamp- 
shire, May 6, 1839. Of the above children there are now 
living, Sarah, Alexander, and Samuel. 

Docter Samuel Gregg. — He was born at New Boston July 
1, 1799. He studied medicine with John Dalton, M. D., of 
New Boston. He graduated M. D. at Dartmouth College in 
1825, and commenced practice in medicine the same year in 
Medford, Mass. He married for his first wife Ruthey W. R., 
daughter of Luther Richards. She was born at New Boston 
June 5, 1802,' and died in Boston, Mass., Feb. 20, 1853. 

She had nine children : Mary Josephine W., who died in 
Medford, Mass., May 6, 1838 ; Martha D., who married Ed- 




./rfffu/frrd-sZiiA 



^^-T^^i^^y 4-/2 



443 

ward G. Tileston, Esq., and now lives in Brookline, Mass. ; 
Samuel W., who died in California in 1850, aged 23 years; 
Caroline A., who married W. R. Stockbridge, and now lives in 
Cambridge, Mass. ; Abbie Maria, who died in 1836, aged three 
years ; Anna, who married Joseph Howard, Jr., and now lives 
in Brooklyn, N. York; Abby H. T., who married I. B. Woos- 
ter, and now lives in San Francisco, California ; Franklin 
Hahneman, who died in infancy, and Josephine Maria, now 
living in Boston, Mass. Dr. Samuel Gregg's present wife was 
Mrs. Sophronia C. Hills, of Leominster, Mass. 

Doctor Samuel Gregg continued the practice of medicine, 
after the teachings of the Allopathic School, for nearly fourteen 
years ; when, in 1838, he was induced to examine the teachings 
of Hahneman, who had promulgated a new, or Homeopathic 
system of therapeutics. Being satisfied of the truth of the prin- 
ciple announced by Hahneman, he has continued in successful 
practice ever since. He thus introduced the " New School " 
system into New England, and was the only practitioner of that 
system for nearly a year in all that region. In 1840 he re- 
moved to Boston, where he continues in successful practice, 
and can now enumerate his colleagues by hundreds, throughout 
New England, who have adopted the motto, " Similia Similibus 
Curantur " of the immortal Hahneman. 

Daniel Dodge. — He was born in Hamilton, Mass., Oct. 24, 
1766 ; married, Elizabeth, daughter of Luke Dodge, who was 
born Feb. 27, 1764. They had nine children : Daniel, born 
Dec. 9, 1785, married, Dec. 28, 1810, Joanna, daughter of 
Daniel Dane, who was born Sept. 16, 1789 ; their children are : 
Albert, born Nov. 13, 1812, died Feb. 14, 1823 ; Hiram, born 
April 3, 1813, who married Olive Butterfield for his first, and 
Abigail Marden, for his second wife ; Polly, born Feb. 28, 1819, 
who became the wife of Cummings Cross ; Sarah, born Dec. 
1823, who became the wife of James Hovey ; Lydia, born Dec, 
1828, died 1849. 

Betsey, born Jan. 28, 1788, died young. 

Betsey, born Oct. 28, 1789, became the wife of Daniel "Whit- 
termore, and resides in Wisconsin, having had eleven children, 
four of whom survive. 

Polly, born March 16, 1793, died April 16, 1814. 



444 

Luke, born Feb. 19, 1795, married Rachael Dodge, lived in 
town, and died April, 1868, leaving three children : Ephraim, 
who died June, 1863, William, and Daniel. 

Ephrairn was born March 16, 1797, married Catherine Luce, 
and resides in South Boston, having five children. 

Lydia, born Jan. 28, 1798, died July 16, 1806. 

Jonathan, born Sept. 6, 1801, married Mary Dodge, died in 
New Boston Sept. 6, 1801, having had seven children. 

The first Daniel Dodge died April 26, 1843 ; his wife died 
July 20, 1851. Mr. Dodge was one of the most thrifty farm- 
ers in town ; upright in his transactions with others, and a 
friendly neighbor, having regard to the law of the Sabbath 
and the institutions of religion, knowing how to bridle his 
tongue. 

Joshua Jones. — He came from Dracut, Mass., about 1780, 
and settled in the south part of the town, buying of John Mc- 
Allister. He married Sarah Burns, of Dracut, Mass. Their 
children are Betsey, Nathaniel, Joshua, Peter, Samuel, George, 
Sally, and Jefferson. 

Betsey married Benjamin Butterfield, of Goffstown, where 
she lived and died. 

Nathaniel married a Miss Butterfield, and settled in Dracut, 
Mass., and died in the West Indies, leaving several children. 

Joshua married Irena Perkins, and died in New Boston in 
1863, leaving one son. 

Peter married for his first wife Mary, daughter of Peter 
Cochran, sister of the late Peter Cochran, by whom he had 
seven children: Mary Jane, Peter C, Nancy, Letitia, Jennette,. 
James C. , and Allen W. Mary Jane married Daniel Ayers, Esq. , 
of Albany, N. Y. ; Peter C. resides in California, and has two 
children; Nancy died young. Letitia married Perry Richards, 
of Goffstown, for her first husband, and Richard Pattee, 
also of Goffstown, for her second husband, and has two chil- 
dren ; Jennette died young ; James C. married Jerusha, 
daughter of John G. Dodge, of Goffstown, and has two chil- 
dren ; Allen W. died in California in Feb., 1858. Mr. Jones 
married for his second wife Mrs. Nancy Hill. 

George married Sarah Battles, of Mont Yernon, and had six 
children. 



445 



• Sally married Capt. Benjamin Woodbury, lived and died in 
New Boston, having had several children. 

Jefferson married Mary Fisher, of Francestown, lived in 
Goffstown, and died some years ago. 

Capt. Ephraim Jones. — He was son of Jonathan Jones, of 
Dracut, Mass. ; he married a Miss Hildreth, daughter of Gen. 
Hildreth, of Dracut, of Revolutionary memory. He had two 
daughters, Mercy and Prudence. Prudence married Mr. Co- 
burn, and settled in Dracut. Mr. Jones was a blacksmith, and 
made scythes and other edge tools, and was one of the most 
useful men in town ; highly respected, and promoted to all 
the offices in the gift of the people ; and an active friend of 
the Presbyterian Church until his death. 

Thomas Otis. — He was born in Barrington Feb. 9, 1783. 
At the age of twenty-one he removed to Wenham, where he 
married Mary, daughter of Aaron Lee. He came to New 
Boston in 1819, and settled in the east part of the town. Their 
children are Peter Y., Hannah, Sarah L., Thomas, Mary 
Jane, Harriet Newell, William Luke, James L., and Elizabeth. 

Peter married Frances A. Center, and has three children : 
William Henry, Harriet Frances, and Charles. 

Hannah became the wife of William A. Flint, and resides 
in Merrimack. 

Sarah married Jonas Holden, lives in Rollinsford, and has 
three children. 

Thomas married Mary Mulligan, lives in Watertown, Mass., 
and has four children. 

Mary Jane married Henry F. Straw, lives in Manchester, 
and has two sons. 

Harriet N. married Elijah Parkhurst, and lives in Merrimac, 
having one daughter. 

William L. married Paulina Balch, of Goffstown, and is now 
a member of the 11th Regt. N. H. V. 

James L. married Louisa Manuel, and lives in Chicago, 111., 
having one daughter. 

Elizabeth married George Austin, of Goffstown, and lives 
in Springfield, Mass. 

Mr. Otis died Jan. 4, 1855 ; his wife died Aug. 25, 1854. 
He was an excellent man, greatly beloved as a neighbor, and 



446 



honored as a christian. He found a ready helper in his wife in- 
every good purpose, and they reared a happy, industrious, and 
virtuous family of children. 

Dr. Jeremiah S. Cochran. — He was son of John Cochran, 
Esq. His mother was Prances, daughter of the late Dr. Jona- 
than Gove. He was born in New Boston Jan. 16, 1805. His 
youth was spent at home on a farm. Serving as a clerk in a 
store in Billerica, Mass., in 1822, he began the study of Latin, 
under Rev. E. P. Bradford, in the year 1823. In 1825 he 
began to read medicine with Dr. John Dalton. In 1826 he 
attended a course of lectures at the Medical College at Han- 
over. Subsequently he attended lectures at Bowdoin College, 
and graduated as a physician in May, 1829. He commenced 
the practice of medicine at Massena, in Northern New York, 
Oct. 6, 1829, where he remained about a year, and then re- 
moved to Waddington, and subsequently to Fort Covington, of 
the same State. At length he went to Sandusky, Ohio, during 
the prevalence of the cholera at the West. Here he directed 
all his energies to his profession, and rose rapidly in it, treating 
cholera with marked success. He spent three months of the 
winter of 1835 in attendance on lectures at the Cincinnati 
Medical College, and, with this exception, he never slept a 
night away from his place of business from 1832 to 1845. He 
was a skilful physician, because he studied his cases thoroughly, 
and rarely failed in diagnosis. He gained clear and distinct 
ideas of the nature of the disease, and then promptly and 
boldly applied the remedies. There was no vacillation in his 
treatment of his patients. Having prescribed the remedies, he 
required a strict adherence to the directions given, any devia- 
tion was visited with severe rebuke. 

In 1837 Dr. Cochran married Sarah T., daughter of Hon. 
M. Farwell, of Sandusky. She was an estimable lady, and died 
in 1842. They had four children : Charles, who died in 1842 ; 
Sarah Frances, who died 1849, whose remains lie in the centre 
graveyard, in New Boston. Of their surving children, one is the 
wife of J. M. Osborn, Esq., of Dayton, Ohio, and the other is a 
soldier in the army of the Cumberland. 

In politics Dr. Cochran was a republican, vigorously opposing 
every measure for slavery extension. As a christian he was 



447 



sincere and earnest, being a constant attendant on the services 
of the sanctuary upon the Sabbath. He believed that a physi- 
cian could arrange his business so as to attend church on 
Sunday, unless there were unexpected calls at the time which 
could not be postponed till after service. He was also a constant 
attendant at the evening meetings of the church for prayer, 
taking part in them. He contended that a physician was not 
worthy to be trusted who trifled with religion and outraged 
the moral sense of a christian community by trampling upon 
the law of the Sabbath, and by identifying himself with the 
workers of iniquity. Dr. Cochran early identified himself with 
the religious community, and was ever ready to cooperate with 
them in any effort to do good, and thus secured the confidence 
of all right-minded men, and was enabled to exert an influence 
over them for good, and when he died they mourned for him as 
for a friend and benefactor. 

Three years before his death he was attacked with fever, which 
was followed by a succession of fevers of the same character 
every summer, and continued until autumn. In June, 1845, he 
had an attack as in former years, and from it was slowly recov- 
ering when a night exposure caused a relapse, and he expired 
July 6, 1845, when it was said of him, " The good physician is 
dead."* 

Rev. Samuel Clarke. — He was born in New Boston, N. H., 
April 21, 1791. All the early circumstances in which he was 
placed conspired to impart unwonted sobriety to his character. 
His home was in a wild, mountainous region, remote from the 
dissipations and distractions of the city. There, instead of the 
sights and sounds of man's creating, he listened to the many- 
toned voices of nature heard in glade and forest ; and was 
taught to commune with the mysteries and wonders of the in- 
visible world, written on the earth and sky, and revealed to the 
lonely heart of man. The distinctive character of that home, 
too, could not fail to have a commanding influence over him. 
His family belonged to a strongly marked class of immigrants, 
who took up and reclaimed the townships along the upper Mer- 

* Condensed from a more extended sketch, by his brother, Dr. Charles 
Cochran, of Toledo, Ohio. 



448 

rimac and its tributary streams. They were originally from 
Scotland, full of Scotch blood, and trained in the sternest 
dogmas of the Presbyterian Church. They had removed in a 
body to the north of Ireland ; had been involved in the priva- 
tions, hardships, and woes winch befell this part of the coun- 
try a century and a half ago. They had shared in the hunger, 
nakedness, and cruel sufferings, of the siege of Londonderry, — 
so full of strange incident, so bloody, and so barbarous ; and 
when once more they took up the line of their pilgrimage, and 
at length pitched their tents on the hills of New England, there 
again to engage in a border warfare with the savages of the 
New World, the story of their sufferings — wild and heart-stir- 
ring traditions, could not fail to leave a profound impression 
upon the minds of their descendants. A marked seriousness 
and thoughtfulness, the old Scottish reverence for the clergy, 
sobriety of demeanor, and strictness of discipline, lingered long 
in the Colony, and went down from generation to generation. 

Mr. Clarke was born and reared in the midst of these influ- 
ences. He was trained in their precise school of manners, and 
was exact in the little proprieties as well as in the essential 
duties of life. His father, Ninian Clark, was an extraordinary 
man, of large sympathies and a noble spirit, trusted by every 
one, and famed all the country around for unflinching integ- 
rity. He was a man of thought and considerable reading ; 
such men as Dr. Samuel Clarke and Archbishop Tillotson were 
among his favorite authors. The son, then, in addition to 
those peculiar influences which served to awaken a profound 
reverence for things sacred and to bring God very near, re- 
ceived those also which helped to expand and ennoble him. 

He was prepared for Dartmouth College by the Rev. Mr. 
Beede, of Wilton ; entered, and was graduated in 1812. Here he 
enjoyed the respect and affection of his classmates ; a feeling 
which had continued to such extent, that when, forty-two years 
after graduation, the survivors once more met at their Alma 
Mater, they appointed him to collect the statistics, and prepare 
a biography of each member of the class ; which trust he execut- 
ed with fidelity, and to the satisfaction of his fellows. After 
leaving college, he returned for a few months to his old tutor 
in Wilton ; but was afterwards induced to repair to Cambridge, 



44«» 



when, at the same time, he took charge of the grammar-school 
in that place, and became a pupil in theology of the Rev. Dr. 
Ohanning. I lore new Scenes opened before him, and now in- 
fluences were exerted which never ceased to be felt, lie had 
come from the quiet seclusion oi' the country : and now, for the 
first time became familiar with the social activity and the in- 
tellectual and spiritual wealth of the metropolis. Young Buck- 
minister was at the height of his fame ; Kirkland occupied the 
presidency oi' the neighboring - university, and Ohanning was 
making his influence widely felt. 

Amid such influences Mr. Clarke was ordained June 18, 
1817, over the Unitarian Church in Princeton, Mass., where he 
remained fifteen years. He was installed over the Unitarian 
Church in Uxbridge, Mass., January 9, 1883, where he re- 
mained twenty-seven years, making a. ministry of forty-two 
years. 

Mr. Clarke married Miss Sarah Wigglesworth, who appears to 
have been adapted to exert a large and beneficent influence ; 
gifted with genius, refined tastes, and an active intellect, Mrs. 
Clarke could not fail to win to her home even those whom no 
parochial ties could have drawn thither. She was a woman to 
win ; for she combined to a rare extent large mental endow- 
ments, with a capacity for the homeliest duties. She would 
conduct the affairs of her household in a manner to satisfy the 
most fastidious, and the while revel amid the creations of an 
exuberant imagination, and engage in speculations the most 
profound. She would dignify her home-cares by a discussion 
of the abstruse metaphysics of Reid and Hamilton, and throw 
over them the hue of poetry by seizing and holding whatever 
might catch her fancy. It was no burden to her to rise before 
the dawn on Monday mornings, and to do the drudgery of the 
week; for she would find ever fresh enjoyment in the unspeak- 
able beauty and glory of the morning hour. She would linger 
late on Saturday night over the humblest and most distasteful 
work, and find no weariness in it; for she already had foregleama 
of the enjoyment of the coming Sabbath ; and, while it was yet 
midnight, would, like Petrarch, begin her great hymn of wor- 
ship. So also in the often hard and irksome duties of the par- 
ish, how difficult soever at first, she so schooled herself that, 

57 



450 



whatever the)' might be, they would afford her only pleasure 
aud profit. In her walks, she would seize ou a beautiful sun- 
set, or a way-side flower, and transfer it to her portfolio. She 
would find sunlight and flowers in the homes of others ; and 
the more desolate and forlorn those homes were, the more sure 
she would be to see what others could not see, and invest them 
with a sanctity and loveliness all their own. 

Thus Mrs. Clarke lived and died ; a blessing to her husband 
and family, and a blessing to the people. Mr. Clarke survived 
his wife but a few years. The blow which removed such a 
companion left a wound that time could not heal. Always 
frail, his whole life interrupted by frequent sicknesses, he could 
bear the strain upon his faculties no longer. He fell, as the 
good man would wish to fall, at the altar at which he served. 
He was arrested in the midst of his discourse, and never preach- 
ed again. Feeling that his work was done, he sent a letter, 
resigning his office, and requesting the society to accept his 
resignation, — a request which, to their honor, they promptly 
declined ; not only voting to supply the pulpit, but to continue 
the salary of Mr. Clarke. From that time, although the seal 
of coming death was on his brow, it brought no terrors ; and 
the kindly voice and the beaming smile seemed to speak of a 
heaven within. And November 19, 1859, he fell asleep " like 
one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, and lies 
down to pleasant dreams." * 

Rev. Samuel Wallace Clark. — He was born in Hancock 
Dec. 15, 1795, -son of John Clark, Esq., who was the son of 
William, of New Boston. He was, by birth, the second of ten 
children, eight of whom, four sons and four daughters, lived to 
mature age. His youth was spent with his father on a farm 
and preparation for college. He graduated from Dartmouth in 
the Class of 1823, and studied theology in a regular course at 
And over Seminary, graduating in 1827, and was ordained pas- 
tor of the Congregational Church in Greenland, Rockingham 
County, Aug. 5, 1829. He married, Oct. 13. 1829, Frances 
Moor, daughter of Dea. Robert Clark, of New Boston. 

* See " Commemorative Discourse," preached December 11, 1859, by Rev. 
Alonzo Hill, of Worcester, Mass.. from which the foregoing is chiefly taken. 



451 



Mr. Clark was a man of a high order of intellect, the native 
gift of God. This gift was increased and chastened by cultiva- 
tion through a long, faithful, and regular course of study and 
discipline. The pursuit and contemplation of truth was his 
delight : of all truth, — truth in nature, truth reduced to 
science, truth in life and in Providence. Especially was the 
truth of God, as revealed in his word, his highest joy, and until 
his death he retained his inquisitive, studious tastes and habits 
of mind, so that he could say, with the Roman orator, " These 
studies occupy our youth, make our riper years happy, are an 
ornament in prosperity, a refuge and solace in adversity, delight 
us at home, and are no hindrance to us abroad, spend the night 
with us, go with us in our travels, and pass the time with us in 
our country abodes." 

The natural cast of his mind was reflective, meditative, in- 
trospective ; truth, in his mind, did not lie in parcels and frag- 
ments, but was logically connected, disposed in system and in 
the order of sequence. His mind was equally removed from a 
conceited and dogmatic conservatism on the one hand, and from 
a rash and empiric radicalism on the other. Neither the bigot, 
the superstitious, nor the fanatic, found anything in him answer- 
ing to their own wishes and character. 

There was in Mr. Clark, pervading and tinging the opera- 
tions of his mind, a rich, salient vein of playful humor, — that 
quick, brilliant reason, which, as Barrow has said, consisteth in 
one knows not what ; " Its ways are unaccountable and inex- 
plicable, being answerable to the numberless rovings of fancy, 
and windings of language." He was apt, and wont himself to 
say many apt and pleasant things ; and he enjoyed, with a keen 
zest, anything of the kind in his associates and friends, if so be 
it were pure and innocent. It is matter of observation that this 
property of mind, while it often delights, sometimes offends and 
wounds. In him it was baptized and purified in the clear, 
transparent flowings of a pure love. Nothing biting, nothing 
sarcastic, or ironical, escaped his lips. He made fun and mock 
of no creature of God. His wit and humor conversed with 
things and thoughts, and not so much with men and characters. 
" Sometimes it lie in a pet allusion to a known' story, or in a 
sensible application of a trivial saying ; sometimes it played in 



452 



words and phrases ; sometimes it lodged in a sly question, in a 
shrewd intimation, or in closely retorting an objection ; " 
hence, while you saw its glare and brightness, it was never with 
the foreboding fear that its stroke might ere long fall upon you 
or yours, smiting, prostrating, and humbling you in the dust. 
This trait and grace of mind he had rightfully and by inheri- 
tance, being descended of the Scotch race, in whose character it 
is proverbially prominent. And amid all the solemnities of a 
death-bed, — in the undressing of his soul, — the reverential and 
earnest abiding of the quick-coming scenes of eternity, — the 
patient expectation of heaven and its glories, which were the 
objects of trust and faith in Christ only, his pleasantry and 
humor did not forsake him ; and these, with the other and 
spiritual exercises of his mind, gave a very pleasant and grate- 
ful air to the sick-chamber and the death-bed, where the good 
man meets his fate, making less frightful, pleasant and joyous 
even, the noiseless approach of the king of terrors. Thus was 
he natural and himself, up to the last hour of life and in the 
solemn moment of death ; a devout, confiding christian indeed, 
but no less a man gifted and endowed as well by nature as by 
grace. His life of great excellence was crowned by a graceful, 
dignified, and sacred period. 

Mr. Clark for a long time was a sufferer, but endured his 
protracted confinement with patience, and died of bronchial 
consumption Aug. 17, 1847, leaving a wife and three children, 
after a pastorate of eighteen years.* 

The materials for the foregoing sketches have been gathered 
from various sources with great labor, and they have been ex- 
tended far beyond our first intention, and quite as far beyond 
the legitimate taxing of our strength. Soon after the Centen- 
nial a request was made through several of the weekly news- 
papers, that any person interested in the history of New Boston, 
and having a historic relation thereto, would furnish a brief 
sketch of his family, both historic and genealogical. Few have 
complied with it. But the fault of any omission must be the 
delinquent's, not ours. We have never felt that we were binder 
any obligation to write the history of private families and indi- 

* Condensed from a more extended notice. 



453 



viduals. If we have done it in case of most of the foregoing 
sketches, it was not because we felt there were any claims on us 
from any one, but because the history of the town would be 
incomplete without some of them, and the volume would lose 
much of its interest to coming generations. 

Although a full list of names of the men who served in the 
war of the Revolution cannot be obtained, yet they are inci- 
dentally brought to light in these sketches, and it is abundantly 
evident that New Boston promptly furnished her full share of 
men, giving liberal bounties, and generously supporting the 
families of the soldiers at the expense of the town. Though a 
majority of the people were opposed to the war, and though 
they had some stormy debates, yet the patriots always had a 
majority whenever a vote was taken to raise bounties, or advance 
the pay of the soldier, or relieve his family. The records of 
the town, on this subject, are full and entirely satisfactory. 

In the war of 1812 the town could " vote unanimously, to a 
man, to sustain the government," and, of course, men and 
means were furnished without stint. So in the present war, 
our quotas have been promptly filled through the offering of 
generous bounties, notwithstanding a large majority of the legal 
voters are opposed to the present administration. And few 
towns have more readily contributed to the wants of soldiers, 
through the various channels in which comforts are conveyed 
to them, than this, though these contributions have come from 
a small minority of the inhabitants. 

We have taken great pleasure in honoring the men who have 
heroically served their country, whether in 1776, 1812, or 18G1. 
Their names deserve a record, and their patriotism a tribute of 
praise. A united and grateful country will honor them as they 
deserve, when the stormy clays have passed, and it comes to be 
seen that a country, purified by sufferings and sacrifices, has 
favors only for those who bared their bosoms to the conflict for 
self-preservation, and reproaches for those that " came not to 
the help of the Lord, to the. help of the Lord against the 
mighty." 



FABMS AND FABMING. 



The surface of New Boston is broken, its abrupt hills indi- 
cating that Nature once got into a strange freak, and sought 
to make this region of country preeminent for its inequalities. 
But she gave a rich compensation in the fertility of the soil, and 
the grandeur of the forests. The branches of the Piscataquog, 
which traverse this region, have been distinguished for the 
superiority of the pine timber that bordered them, while her 
hills have been covered with a heavy growth of chestnut, 
beech, birch, maple, and hemlock. Wood here grows with 
surprising rapidity. With markets near, and prices remunera- 
tive, great quantities of wood for fuel are transported from the 
town, affording employment for many teams through the year, 
especially in winter. And the quantity of valuable timber for 
building, and other purposes, every year removed, is very 
large. The timber of New Boston has been inferior to that 
of no other town in the vicinity. Masts of great size have here 
been obtained for a long series of years. By royal authority, 
when New Hampshire was a colony of England, a road was 
constructed up the Piscataquog River, through Goffstown and 
Weare, and a branch extended into New Boston. This road 
has always been known as the " Mast Road," its construction 
being for the accommodation of " the masting business." Mr. 
Potter, in his " History of Manchester," says : — 

" Some of the largest and most valuable masts, ever cut in 
the Province, were cut in Goffstown and New Boston. The 
old people relate that one was cut upon the farm of Jonathan 
Bell, of Goffstown, in the valley of the south branch of the 
Piscataquog, and about a half of a mile southwest of Goffs- 
town, West Village, that exceeded in size, length, and symme- 
try, any other ever cut in this region. It was so large, that 
some of the teamsters drove a yoke of ' seven feet oxen ' upon 
its stump, and turned them round with ease." 



4r>/5 



Owing to this abundance of timber, with corresponding mill 
facilities and convenient markets, Lumbering has absorbed much 
of the interest and labor which ought to have been given to 
the soil. The lumbering business is more speedily remunera- 
tive, but the tilling of the soil better promotes the morals of 
a people, and far more tends to permanent wealth. Large 
tracts have been divested of rich growths, leaving the soil 
poor and worth but little ; consequently the farms to which 
they were attached greatly depreciate, and are used for pas- 
tures or sold in fragments to surrounding neighbors ; and thus 
many of the once most productive farms are lost on the map 
of the town, and the thousands of dollars received from the 
sale of lumber almost immediately finds investment in other 
towns; SO that while individuals obtain largo sums by divest- 
ing the soil of its growth, the town is, in reality, to the same 
extent impoverished. So much of the large growth has been 
removed, that there would be good reason to anticipate greater 
attention to farming, if the increase of wood did not nearly 
equal the amount removed. As it is, we think there is hope. 
The surface of New Boston, as has been said, is distinguished 
for its abrupt inequalities. Her hills are precipitous, and the 
soil on their sides and tops is deep and friable, seldom Buffer- 
ing from droughts, and as little injured by " washings." 

The rapid decay of minerals supplies the earth with needed 
salts, so that it is not impoverished by its annual production 
with a reasonable return from the stable. Corn, wheat, oats, 
barley, beans, and potatoes arc cultivated with great success ; 
and, unless positively abused, there is little soil in New Boston 
that does not repay the laborer. And he is a thriftless farmer 
who grows poor, possessed of a moderate amount of mother 
earth within our limits. Indeed, such is randy or never the 
case with any sober and industrious man. 

For a long time our restless youth have been eager to rush 
into the manufacturing towns and mails of trade, preferring a, 
more rapid course to wealth, though full of hazards. This is 
owing partly to the little taste manifested, and the little regard 
shown to the higher needs of the family by parents, which have 
served to disgust many a youth with rural pursuits, and partly 
to the feverishness which pervades the whole country, by the 



456 



opening of new channels of trade and novel fields of activity. 
That farming is not a rapid road to wealth, is admitted ; but 
that it is a sure road to competence, is undeniable. That it 
requires labor, it must be confessed ; but the poor city clerk, 
who puts on better cloth, and assumes more attractive airs, 
to the confounding of country boys, has to labor more hours, 
and with more degrading obsequiousness, than the young man 
who tills the soil ; while his chances of competence are by no 
means flattering. 

Valuable as has been the timber of New Boston, we doubt if 
it has equalled her annual grass crop ; productive as is the soil 
in the growth of the cereals, it is unsurpassed in its adapted- 
ness to the cultivation of the grasses. Here the timothy, red- 
top, and clover grow luxuriant, and are cultivated with facility. 
Large quantities of hay are every year conveyed to Manchester, 
Nashua, and other places, commanding remunerative prices, 
thus being a source of income to the farmer. Still, it is to be 
feared that too many calculate upon the ready cash it will 
bring, more than how they may enhance the fertility of the 
soil and increase its production. If hay is sold and .its equiv- 
alent in fertilizing properties be not returned to the soil, the 
ground is necessarily impoverished to that extent. Yet many 
farmers of New Boston can afford to spare a portion of their 
grass crops, if judiciously cared for from the barn-cellars. And 
this leads us to say that great improvements have been made, 
within the past few years, in the construction of barns and cel- 
lars for the reception of manures. It is now well understood 
that the thrifty farmer can multiply his fertilizers fourfold 
beyond that distributed to the land by our fathers ; and the 
waste once witnessed on many a farm would now be deemed a 
reproach. 

While New Boston boasts a rich soil and ample returns, she 
also takes pride in her herds and flocks. The pastures are nat- 
urally fertile and well-watered. The cattle that graze them are 
mostly of the native breed, greatly improved by being crossed 
with other breeds. They do not possess the great horns, nar- 
row shoulders and rumps, as formerly, but are large, round, 
line-looking animals, strong for labor, or meet for the stall, or 
ready to enrich the dairy. A few herds of pure Devons may 



457 

be found, but more crossed with the native breed. Now and 
then a Durham and Ayershire may be seen, but the cattle gen- 
erally preferred are the first named. The number of cattle is 
large. The dairies though not large as formerly, yet are nu- 
merous and more remunerative, while present exorbitant prices 
obtained for butter and cheese would justify extension. Within 
the past few years more attention has been given to wool-growing ; 
and the sheep once more is heard bleating upon our hills, from 
which for a time she seemed banished, evidently to the detri- 
n >nt of the soil and the loss of the farmer. 

New Boston has always boasted a race of fine horses ; and 
few towns can present a larger number of substantial and well- 
trained animals for the' family and the road, than may here be 
found. The Scotch-Irish take great pride in driving a spirited 
steed, and count it reproach to be the owner of a mean animal 
from the days of good old Deacon Jesse Christy, whose horses 
never ran too fast for him, to the present young Americas. 
New Boston has won the palm at many a fair, and gloried in 
the animal " that smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of 
the captains and the shouting." John Newton Dodge has taken 
the premium for horses ; George Austin Wason, for Devon stock 
and horses ; while Jacob Hooper and Solomon Dodge have car- 
ried off the premium for best farms, at county fairs. A brighter 
day, we think, is beginning to dawn upon the farming interests 
of New Boston, and the future promises to yield better results 
than the past. " The good time coining " for New Boston is 
when lumbering shall cease, and all men not required in other 
branches of activity shall count it their glory to own farms and 
excel in their cultivation ; — where her youth shall no longer 
prefer to obtain a livelihood any way rather than by farming. 
A quiet home in the country, with pleasant surroundings, with 
means of intelligence and aids to refinement, which every thrifty 
farmer may have, is of all places the most secure of ills, and 
the most sure pledge of length of days, and of blessings that 
bring no sorrow with them. The farmer is not now necessarily 
ignorant of the world's activity, either in trade or politics. 
Cities are no longer the only centres of intelligence and refine- 
ment, but these centres may be found wherever there is a live 
tiller of the soil, or an active mechanic. His daily and weekly 

58 



458 



newspaper keeps him as well-informed as if he lived in the great 
metropolis. And as to seeing, his horse, light of foot, soon 
bears him to the city to which he need be no stranger, or the 
iron horse that passes his door lands him in a short time in the 
midst of trade and attractions ; nor is he less happy if his 
family be permitted to accompany him. 

" In the year 1672, when throughout Great Britain only six 
stage-coaches were constantly going, a pamphlet was written by 
one John Cresset, of the Charter House, for their suppression ; 
and among the many grave reasons given against their contin- 
uance is the following : ' These stage coaches make gentlemen 
come to London upon very small occasion, which otherwise 
they would not do, but upon urgent necessity ; nay, the con- 
venience of the passage makes their wives often come up, who, 
rather than come such long journeys on horseback, would stay 
at home. Here, when they have come to town, they must pres- 
ently be in the mode, get fine clothes, go to plays and treats, 
and by these means get such a habit of idleness and love of 
pleasure, that they are uneasy ever after.' " 

The farmers of New Boston have no such fears. Their sen- 
sible and intelligent wives and daughters may love to visit the 
city occasionally, that they may not forget how the world moves 
at the seat of fashions and inventions, but they are glad to re- 
turn to the quiet seclusion of their happy rural homes, wiser, 
and better prepared for their duties than before. There is no 
longer ground of fear of " country cousins." They are as well- 
educated, have as much brain, and sometimes more heart than 
their city friends ; and " country cousins," instead of being awed 
by the airs of city friends, have come to feel that theirs is the 
better inheritance. Self-respect will exist where there is home- 
refinement and heart-culture. Let the farmers of New Boston 
resolve that they will make their homes nurseries of industry, 
intelligence, and virtue, and they will never pine for the pleas- 
ures of a city life. Let theirs be the sentiment, — 

" Higher, higher will we climb 

Up the mount of glory, 
That our names may live through time 

In our country's story ; 
Happy, when her welfare calls, 
He who conquers, he who falls. 



459 

" Onward, onward will we press 

Through the path of duty ; 
Virtue is true happiness, 

Excellence true beauty : 
Minds are of supernal birth, 
Let us make a heaven of earth. 

" Close and closer then we knit 

Hearts and hands together, 
Where our fireside comforts sit 

In the wildest weather : 
( )h ! they wander wide, who roam 
For the joys of life, from home. 

" Nearer, dearer bands of love 

Draw our souls in union, 
To our Father's house above, 

To the saints' communion. 
Thither every hope ascend, 
There may all our labors end." 

According to the United States census for 1860, the popula- 
tion of New Boston is 1,369, — white males, 682 ; white females, 
681 ; free colored males, 2 ; and colored females, 4. The pop- 
ulation of Hillsborough County is 62,140. The population of 
the bordering towns is as follows : Francestown, 1,082 ; Goffs- 
town, 1,740 ; Weare, 2,310 ; Bedford, 1,172 ; Amherst, 1,508 ; 
Mont Vernon, 725 ; Lyndeborough, 823. The total population 
of the State is 325,579. 

The following columns show that the number of owners or 
managers of farms is 170 ; number of acres of improved land, 
16,306 ; acres of unimproved land, 4,352 ; cash value of the 
farms is set down at -1477,190 ; the value of implements and 
machinery is 120,658 ; number of horses, 281 ; milch cows, 546 ; 
working oxen, 342 ; other cattle, 857 ; sheep, 723 ; swine, 406 ; 
the value of live stock, $82,086 ; number of bushels of wheat, 
2,094 ; bushels of rye, 1,319 ; bushels of Indian corn, 10,885 ; 
bushels of oats, 4,410 ; pounds of wool, 1,867 ; bushels of peas 
and beans, 391 ; bushels of Irish potatoes, 18,797 ; bushels of 
barley, 996 ; cash value of orchard products, $5,974 ; pounds of 
butter, 47,025 ; pounds of cheese, 18,152 ; tons of hay, 3,686 ; 
value of slaughtered animals, $11,058. 



460 








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59 



INDEX. 



Adams, Dea. Marshall, 129, 329; sketch of, 

431. 
Adams, Marshall C. 329. 
Addition, New, 67, 71. 
Aiken, Rev. Dr. 131. 
Andrews, Capt. Joseph, sketch of, 436; Dea. 

Issachar, sketch of, 438. 
Antrim, 35. 

Appleton, Rev. Jesse, 122. 
Argyleshire, 15, 35. 
Atwood, Rev. J. 9,52; sketch of, 141; his 

history of B. Church, 143. 
Atwood, Dr. Moses, sketch of, 210, 213. 
Ayrshire, 35. 

Baptist Church, 52; organized, 143. 
Beard, Ebenezer, 107; Andrew, sketch of, 

3S0; Jesse, 13,109,380. 
Beede, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Barnard, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Betton, N. C, Esq., sketch of, 202. 
Blair, John, sketch of. 352. 
Blanchard, Col. J. 42, 07, 70. 
Boston, arrived at, 38. 

Bradford, Rev. E. P. 34, 52, 9S ; call of, 118; 
acceptance, 120; ordination, 122; mar- 
riage, 123 ; trials, 124; salary, 129; publi- 
cations, 130 ; wife, 131, 133; children, 132. 
Bradford, Dr. David, 211; James B. and 

EphraimP. 252; Rev. Moses, 117. 
Brown, Rev. Mr. 117; Dr. Winthrop, 210. 
Bruce, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Burial-ground, history of, 233; Fairbanks 

on, 241. 
Burnap, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Burr, W., Esq. 12, 300. 
Butterfield, Lieut. 305. 

Buxton, Rev. Edward, 13, 20; sketch of, 135; 
response of, 137; Capt. Benjamin, sketch 
of, 401. 
Caldwell, James, Esq., sketch of, 417. 
Campbell, Daniel, 9; Wm. C, letter of 247; 
Robert, sketch of, 412; Thomas, sketch 
of, 414. 
Canada, 61. 
Casualties, 227. 

Census, first, 44; second, 45; third and 
fourth, 40; for 1860,459-405. 



Centennial, proceedings of, 9. 
Chase, Rev. Mr. 145. 
Choristers, 170. 
Churches, 50. 

Clark, Wm. R., letter, 253; Rev. William, 
19; sketch of, 207; response of, 209; Dea. 
Robert, 123, 209 ; sketch of, 370 ; Dr. N. 
P. 210 ; William, Esq., sketch of, 309 ; 
John, sketch of, 371 ; Rebecca, sketch of, 
371 ; Ninian, sketch of, 372 ; Ninian, Esq., 
sketch of, 372 ; Rev. Samuel, sketch of, 
447; Rev. Samuel Wallace, sketch of, 
450. 
Clayford, Rev. Mr. 117. 

Cochrane, Hon. C. B. 9; letter, 10; sketch 
of, 23; address, 25, 200; Robert P.. 9; 
Warren R. 9; sketch of, 73; poem, 75; 
Hon. Gerry W. 19; sketch of, 331 ; re- 
sponse of, 333. 
Cochran, C. C. letter of, 251; Dr. Charles, 
sketch of, 19.;; response of, 195, 211; Dr. 
Jeremiah 5. 211; sketch of, 446. , 

Cochran, Dea. Thomas, 47, 111, 123 ; sketch 
of, 350 ; William P., Esq., sketch of, 183; 
response of, 185; Gen. William S., ban- 
ner of, 12; letter of, 250; Robert C, Esq. 
201; Dr. Thomas !I. 212; sketch of, 273; 
response of 275; John, sketch of, 35S; 
Peter, sketch of, 300; Nathaniel, sketch 
of, 303; John, Esq., sketch of, 304; 
James, sketch of, 305; Elijah, sketch of, 
305; Joseph, Esq., sketch of, 306; Abra- 
ham, sketch of, 308; John, Esq., sketch 
of, 409. 
Cristy, Dea. S. L. 9, 371 ; Moses, 371; Dea. 
Jesse, sketch of, 355; Capt. George, 
sketch of, 361. 
Cogswell, Rev. E.C. 9, 12; address of, 14, 133. 
Colburn, L. 9; Wm. W., sketch of 171; re- 
sponse of, 173. 
Crombie, Dr. James II., sketch of, 205, re- 
sponse of, 207; James, Esq., sketch of, 
141; response of, 153, 200; Ninian C. 9; 
Dr. James, 211 ; James, sketch of, 374; 
John, sketch of, 375. 
CammingS, Jeremiah, 11, 01. 
Cutter, Dr. Wm. 209. 



468 



Dalton, Dr. John, 210. 

Dana, Rev. Mr. 117. 

Dane, Dea. Samuel, 12 ; sketch of, 422 ; Dan- 
iel, sketch of, 421. 

Danforth, Dr. James, 210. 

Davidson, Kev. Wm. 50. 

Davis, Rev. J. G., letter of, 254. 

Deering, 40. 

Derry, 37. 

Dodge, Solomon, 9; John, 9; sketch of, 396; 
Perley, Esq., sketch of, 197 ; response of, 
199; Benj., sketch of, 379; Lieut. Solo- 
mon, sketch of, 393; Israel, residence of, 
393 ; Dea. Solomon, residence of, 394 ; 
Amos, Esq., residence of, 394: Daniel, 
sketch of, 443. 

Dunbar, Rev. Mr. 117. 

Dunstable, 106, 305. 

Dwelling-houses, 103. 

Eastman, Dr. 209. 

Elders, 113, 119, 123, 129, 134. 

Elizabeth, Queen, 36, 66. 

Exeter, 49. 

Fairbanks, Lorenzo, Esq. 200; sketch of, 
239; response of, 241. 

Fairfield, J. W., Esq. 200; address of, 20; 
sketch of, 93; response of, 95; Capt. 
Matthew, sketch of, 409; John, Esq., 
sketch of, 409; Seth, Esq. 200. 

Farmer's Cabinet, 11. 

Farms and Farming, 454. 

Ferson, Dea. James, sketch of, 252; Dr. 
William, 211. 

Fires, 230. 

Fitch, Dr. Francis, 210. 

Flag-, presented by Gen. W. S. Cochran, 12. 

Foss, Rev. A. T. 144. 

Francestown, 40, 67. 

Fryeburgh, 65. 

Fullerton, Rev. Mr. 117. 

Gage, Rev. David, 145. 

Goodhue, Rev. J. A. 20, 21 ; sketch of, 161 ; 
responses of, 163, 343; John, sketch of, 
407. 

Genealogical sketches, 349. 

Goodridge, Rev. Mr. 117. 

Gorges, Sir Ferdinando, 66. 

Goffe, John, Esq. 48, 201. 

Goffstown, 40, 104. 

Gove, Dr. Jonathan, 201; sketch of, 209, 214; 
Charles Frederick, 201 ; John, 201. 

Graduates, college, 260. 

Grant, 40, 61; conditions thereof, 62, 103. 

Grantees, names of, 01 ; claim of, 01. 

Graveyards, 54, 104 ; history of, 233. 

Gregg, Hugh, sketch of, 353; Dr. Samuel, 
211: letter of, 248; sketch of, 442; Sam- 
uel, Esq., sketch of, 442; David, 9. 

Harris, Rev. Mr. 117. 



Haverhill, 38. 

Hayward, Rev. Sylvanus, 73. 

Hazelton, Gerry W., Esq., sketch of, 177; 

response of, 179. 
Hills, Cochran's, 299; Bradford's, 300,301; 

Clark's, 301; Joe English, 302, 304. 
Henniker, 40. 
Hogg, Robert, sketch of, 423 ; Abner, sketch 

of, 424. 
History, Ecclesiastical, 103. 
Hoilis Association, 108. 
Hooper, Jacob, sketch of, 434. 
Honor, Roll of, 263. 
Hymns, Centennial, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19. 
Incorporation, 47. 
Indians, tribes of, 303. 
Inhabitants, number of, 44, 459. 
Ireland, 35, 30, 38,50, 95. 
James the First, 36; the Second, 37. 
Joe English, friendship of, 304; death of, 

305 ; memories of, 309. 
Jones, Joshua, sketch of, 444; Capt. Eph- 

raim, sketch of, 445. 
Kelso, William, sketch of, 383. 
Kelley, Dr. E. G., sketch of, 213; letter of, 

253. 
Laconia, 06. 
Lamson, Capt. John, 9 ; Joseph, sketch of, 

419; Rev. William, D.D. 430 
Langdeil, Livermore, sketch of, 435. 
Lawyers, 99. 
Livingston, Robert, 439. 
Localities, business and interesting, 299. 
Londonderry, 35 ; origin of 37, 40. 
Lovewell, Zacheus, 41, 63, 65; Capt. John, 

65. 
Lynch, Dr. Samuel, 215 ; Maurice, sketch of, 

438. 
Mast Road, 454. 

McAllister, John, sketch of, 386. 
McCollom, Alexander. 55; sketch of, 411; 

Dr. Alexander, sketch of, 214. 
McCurdy, Jesse, Esq. 201. 
McGregore, Rev. Mr. 50. 
McLaughlen, sketch of, 3r9. 
McMillen, Dr. Hugh, 209, 249 ; Dea. Archi- 
bald, sketch of, 391 ; John, sketch of, 362 ; 
Daniel, sketch of, 362. 
McNeil, William, sketch of, 352; Dea. Wil- 
liam, 55, 123 ; sketch of, 388. 
Manchester, 40, 304. 
Manufacturing Establishments, 224. 
Marden, Dr. Daniel, 212; Lemuel, sketch of, 
377; Jonathan, 378; Samuel, sketch of, 
378. 
Marshal, Chief, 12 ; aids, 12. 
Mason, John T. 42, 66, 67. 
Masonian heirs, 65, 67 ; grant, 68. 
Meeting-houses, 103, 105, 107, 126. 



469 



Merriam, Rev. Franklin, 145. 

Merchants, 250. 

Merrimac, 38. 

Miles, Rev. Mr. 117. 

Mills, 103. 

Ministerial Fund, 147. 

Moor, Rev. S. 50; call of, 109; installation 

of, 112; marriage, 113 ; death, 114; his 

■widow and children, 114, 115. 
Moore, Kev. Mr. 117; letter of, 251. 
Moor. Dea. William, sketch of, 418. 
Moorhead, Rev. Mr. 50. 
Morgan, Zechariah, sketch of, 436. 
Morrill, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Morrison, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Mortality, Bills of, 233. 
Murders, 228. 

Narraganset- towns, 41, 63. 
New Boston, first called, 40, 47; supplies her 

war quotas, 453, 455. 
Nuffield, 38. 
Officers, town, 255. 
Old Style, 05. 
Orthodox, minister, 103. 
Otis, Thomas, sketch of, 445. 
Paige, Kev. Mr. 117. 
rarkinson, Rev. Royal, 20, 405; Robert, 

sketch of, 404. 
Tatten, Matthew, 71, 105, 106 ; Samuel, 105, 

106. 
Patterson, Dea. Robert, 123 ; sketch of, 390. 
Peabody, Dr. Nathaniel, sketch of, 212 ; Isaac, 

sketch of, 397. 
Perkins, Dr. James, 210. 
Peterborough, 40. 
Phipps, Sir William, 61. 
Pine-trees, 454. 
Poems, W. R. Cochran's, 75; Mrs. S. T. 

Wason's, 309. 
Population, 459. 
Presbyteiiau Church, 52; organized, 113; 

members of, 119. 
Presbyterians, 95, 96. 
President, 12; Vice, 12. 
Pounds, 235. 
Potter, Hon. C. E. 304. 
Preaching, desired, 107. 
Richards, Luther, sketch of, 395. 
Roads, 235. 



Revolution, war of, 49. 

River, Piscataquog, 41, 106. 

Russell, Kev. T. C. 19, 145. 

Schools, first appropriation for, 157; districts 

and first committee, 157. 
School Fund, how obtained, 148; lost, 149. 
School teachers, list of, 169. 
Schools, Sabbath, first organized, 325. 
Scotch, 35; Scotch Irish, 44, 95, 96. 
Scotland, 35, 95. 
Session House, 125. 
Settlement, town, 43. 
Simpson, John, 41, 02, 64. 
Sleigh, Rev. Mr. 117. 
Smith, Thomas, sketch of, 349; Dea. John, 

sketch of, 349 ; Dea. Thomas, sketch of, 

350. 
Society, Presbyterian, organized, 129. 
Starrett, David, sketch of, 427. 
Stone, Rev. Josiah, 143, 144. 
Suicides, 22S. 

Teachers, school, 109 ; music, 170. 
Tewksbury, Amos W., Esq., sketch of, 420. 
Thornton, Dr. Matthew, 49, 207; anecdotes 

of, 208. 
Ticonderoga, 65. 

Town meeting, the first, 47; other, 48, 98. 
Turf and twidge, 50. 
Tyng, Eleazer, 64. 
Ulster, 37. 
Vardy, Luke, 41, 65. 

Volunteers, names of, 263 ; tribute to, 263. 
Warren, Josiah, sketch of, 415. 
Wason, Dea. Robert, 120; sketch of, 390; 

Elbridge, 390; his residence, 312; Rev. 

Hiram, sketch of, 316; response of, 319; 

Dr. Horace, 211 ; George A. 12; Mrs. S. 

T. 11, 12, 15, 17, 18; sketch of, 307; poem 

of, 309. 
Walker, Andrew, sketch of, 355. 
Wentworth, B. and J. 44. 
Whipple, Dr. John, 210, 249; John, sketch 

of, 432; Dr. Robert, 432; 
White, Dea. Robert, 51, 111; sketch of, 387. 
Whiting, Capt. Gerry, sketch of, 440. 
Willson, William, Esq. 200; Willsons, 

sketch of, 3S7. 
Windham, 40. 
Woodbury, William, sketch of, 441. 



ERE AT A. 



I\age 10, seven lines from top, for occasion, read occasions. 
Page 75, ten lines from top, for suns, read sons. 
Page 101, eleven lines from bottom, for mother, read mothers. 
Page 200, nineteenth line from top, for leader, read lawyer. 
Page 242, nine lines from top, for out, read only. 
Page 264, twelve lines from top, for Doge, read Dodge. 

Page 307, seven lines from top, before Thomas, insert Samuel Anderson, residing in 
Providence, It. I. 
Page 369, seventeen lines from top, for McLauglen, read McLauglilen. 
Page 440, eleven lines from bottom, for here, read there. 



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